THE Square Shopping Centre in Sale is to gain a new name as it undergoes a significant rebrand as part of its redevelopment.

It will be known as ‘Stanley Square’ as it undergoes extensive changes as it attracts exciting new operators.

Now the local community has the chance to find out: who exactly is Stanley and why is this his Square?

The rebrand was instigated by owners Altered Space in collaboration with designers Studio DBD and assisted by local historians Michael Riley and Alan Morrison.

Instead of stamping a brand-new identity on the area, the concept has evolved by bringing lost historical treasures to the surface.

Research uncovered that the area on which the shopping centre is built was originally farmland, owned by the successful and hardworking Heywood family who farmed it up to the 1840s, when the railway came to Sale and they sold some of the land for development.

The Heywood family had a young son named Stanley who passed away at a young age.

When the land got developed they decided to name one of the streets Stanley Grove, in remembrance of their beloved son.

Renaming the shopping centre ‘Stanley Square’ was the clear choice when it came to knitting together past and future for the ambitious regeneration project.

The rebrand is part of an immersive design project by lead designer Dave Sedgwick.

He said: “The key thing with the rebrand of the Square and especially the name change is to make sure that every aspect of the brand is connected with the history and heritage of Sale.

“The name of the shopping centre – The Square – was always a generic and obvious name. It could be located anywhere in the country. So we wanted to give what is essentially the centre of Sale an identity and a name we felt it deserved.

“By bringing this piece of history back to life, we have given a real name back to the area.”

Michael Brown, director of Altered Space, added: “We are delighted to be able to unveil a fresh new brand for The Square which we feel is an important step on our journey to help revitalise Sale Town Centre."