Denshaw
Encyclopedia
Denshaw is a village in Saddleworth
—a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
, in Greater Manchester
, England. It lies by the source of the River Tame
, high amongst the Pennines
above the village of Delph
, 4.6 miles (7.4 km) northeast of Oldham
, and 3.3 miles (5.3 km) north-northwest of Uppermill
. It has a population of around 500.
Historically
a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
, Denshaw and its surroundings have provided archaeological evidence of Stone
and Bronze Age
activity in the area. The name Denshaw is of Old Norse
derivation, and the oldest part of the village is an ancient hamlet
.
Built up around the junction of five major roads, until the 20th century, Denshaw consisted mainly of smallholding
s and a few public house
s such as the Junction Inn, originally built as a coaching house for travellers. Denshaw is noted for its annual Whit Friday
brass band
contest.
activity around Denshaw; in 2004 Saddleworth Archaeological Trust objected to the construction of a wind farm on a site on Denshaw Moor which had produced more than 200 Mesolithic
artefacts
. Human activity in Denshaw continued in the Bronze Age
, as demonstrated by the discovery of a palstave
on Wall Green in 1932, when a trench was being dug for a water pipe, and some tools from Denshaw Moor, on the site of the proposed wind farm, which include a ceremonial flint dagger. A Roman road
may also cross the site.
The name Denshaw is derived from Old Norse
, suggesting a settlement may have existed there during the period of the Danelaw
. Denshaw Fold, the oldest part of the village, is an isolated hamlet
of ancient origin. Many of the traditional stone dwellings are listed buildings and are descendants of the cluster of houses first built in the locality during the 16th century. Around 1795, the Junction Inn at Denshaw was erected. It served as a posting house on the Ripponden
-to-Oldham
turnpike road (opened in 1798) for the changing of horses and the provision of refreshments.
Denshaw did not experience the same rate of urbanisation and industrialisation
as its surrounding settlements during the Industrial Revolution
, and it did not become a mill town
or a centre of the local cotton mill
boom as did nearby Rochdale
, Milnrow
and Oldham
. However, Denshaw Vale was a calico printing factory which was "an important concern that employed a workforce of 150" during the 19th century. Furthermore, Denshaw was chosen as the site of a reservoir which local mills were to contribute monies and thereby use; In 1828, Rackenden Deign Reservoir was built by Denshaw to provide for 24 watermill
s. In 1818 an Oddfellows
Lodge was erected in the village. In 1887, Denshaw was documented having a population of 1,279.
In 2003, energy company E.ON UK
proposed the installation of seven 350 feet (107 m) wind turbine
s at Denshaw. This was met with opposition from the local and wider communities, culminating in the Saddleworth Moors Action Group, who were joined by environmentalist David Bellamy
. The council received over 1,000 letters objecting to the proposed wind farm, and although initially accepted by the former Liberal Democrat
local authority, the application was rejected by Labour
-controlled Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council on 1 March 2006.
On 23 May 2007, Denshaw's post office
(which doubles-up as the village's only shop) was the centre of a robbery. The "tiny premises" has been under threat of closure owing to Post Office
's modernisation plans and has now closed.
On 17 April 2008, local, national and international media reported on Denshaw's entry on Wikipedia
which had been vandalised with spoof information. The entry "attracted unwelcome notoriety after it was targeted" by editors, although the offending material was removed after initial reports were published. The story featured on the BBC
's North West Tonight
, a regional news programme, and later picked up by news services as far away as Pakistan
.
of Yorkshire
since a very early time, during the Middle Ages
, Denshaw lay within the Saddleworth chapelry
of the ancient parish of Rochdale
. Like the other Yorkshire areas of the ancient parish, it was in the wapentake of Agbrigg
in Yorkshire, with the Lancashire
areas of the ancient parish being in Salfordshire
.
The Byrons
(including Romantic poet
George Gordon Byron
) were prominent land owners in Denshaw. Denshaw was created an ecclesiastical parish in 1864, out of the former Friarmere parochial chapelry. It was in the deanery
of Ashton-under-Lyne
from 1864 to 1872. It then became part of Rochdale
deanery until 1881 when it again became part of Ashton-under-Lyne. In 1929, it transferred to Oldham
deanery. It is currently in Saddleworth Deanery, part of the Archdeanery of Rochdale, in the Anglican Diocese of Manchester
.
From 1894 to 1900, Denshaw lay within Saddleworth Rural District
, a local government district in the administrative
County of York, West Riding. In 1900, Denshaw was merged into Saddleworth Urban District
, where it stayed until 1974. Under the Local Government Act 1972
, the Saddleworth Urban District was abolished, and Denshaw has, since 1 April 1974, formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
, within Greater Manchester
. Denshaw lies within the Saddleworth North electoral ward
.
Since 1997, Denshaw has formed part of the parliamentary constituency of Oldham East and Saddleworth, and is represented in the House of Commons
by Debbie Abrahams
, a member of the Labour Party
. Between 1983 and 1997 it was in the Littleborough and Saddleworth
constituency.
, 11.4 miles (18.3 km) northeast of Manchester City Centre
, on elevated Pennine ground by the River Tame
, which flows southwesterly from its source near the Dowry and New Years Bridge reservoirs. The land-use of Denshaw, which centres on a road junction
, is predominantly residential, the outlying land being a mixture of permanent grassland
and heath
.
Denshaw lies amongst the South Pennines
, and is topographically
characterised by hilly, upland terrain. Denshaw is not contiguous with any other settlement and for purposes of the Office of National Statistics, does not form part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area
.
Denshaw experiences a temperate
maritime climate
, like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters. There is regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year.
There are a number of small named-localities in and around Denshaw, including Denshaw Fold, Cherry Clough, Junction, Old Tame, Slackcote, Grains Bar and Woodbrow.
Christ Church is Denshaw's parish church
. It is part of the Church of England
and lies within the Anglican Diocese of Manchester
. A Grade II listed building since 19 June 1967, Christ Church dates from 1863, the year before Denshaw became an ecclesiastical parish. It was built by Henry Gartside, a resident of Denshaw.
Denshaw War Memorial lies within the churchyard. It was erected by public subscription "in honour of the men who fell and served" in the First
and Second
World Wars. The monument has Rolls of Honour containing the 32 names of those from Denshaw who fought and died in these wars.
, at a road junction
where the A640, A672 and A6052 roads
intersect. There are no rail services in Denshaw. Following closure of the Oldham Loop Line, the nearest railway station to Denshaw
is located at Greenfield
.
Two bus routes serve Denshaw. One is the daily 407 service between Denshaw and Oldham
via Pennine Meadows and Moorside run by Swan's Travel and operating hourly during the daytime. The other is the 354, running from Denshaw to Ashton-under-Lyne
via Delph
, Uppermill
, Mossley
and Stalybridge
. It is operated by Speedwellbus
and runs every two hours Monday–Saturday daytime. There are no evening journeys on either service, they are replaced by a Local Link demand responsive transport
service instead. In its guise as the 562 route, it carried on to Halifax
in West Yorkshire. This was withdrawn in April 2006. At one point, the first and last journeys of the 354 were extended to Rochdale, when the service was worked by Bu-Val Buses earlier on in the 21st century.
Denshaw is noted for its annual brass band contest
, held on every Whit Friday
. The Denshaw Whit Friday Band Contest was established in 1993 and in its first year attracted 25 bands.
Denshaw has a primary school named Christ Church Primary. It is a denominational school with the Church of England
, linked with Denshaw's parish church.
Denshaw village hall is the home of an amateur dramatic group and hosts various village activities; the hall was awarded a grant of £10,000 by the Awards for All scheme, a small grants scheme run by the National Lottery
.
Denshaw is referred to in Barclay James Harvest
's 1993 song Ballad Of Denshaw Mill.
policing in Denshaw is provided by the Greater Manchester Police
. The force's "(Q) Division" have their headquarters for policing the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
at central Oldham; Denshaw's nearest police station is at Uppermill
. Public transport
is co-ordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester. Statutory emergency fire and rescue service
is provided by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
.
There are no hospitals in Denshaw, the nearest being the Royal Oldham Hospital
, in neighbouring Oldham. Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
is the local NHS Trust. The North West Ambulance Service
provides emergency patient transport to and from Denshaw. Other forms of health care
are provided for locally by several small clinics and surgeries in and around Saddleworth.
Waste management
is co-ordinated by the local authority via the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
. Locally produced inert waste
for disposal is sent to landfill
at the Beal Valley. Denshaw's Distribution Network Operator
for electricity is United Utilities
. United Utilities also manages Denshaw's drinking
and waste water; water supplies being sourced from several local reservoirs, including Dovestones
and Chew.
Saddleworth
Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets amongst the west side of the Pennine hills: Uppermill, Greenfield, Dobcross, Delph, Diggle and others...
—a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 219,600, and spans . The borough is named after its largest town, Oldham, but also includes the outlying towns of Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton and Shaw and Crompton, the village of...
, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. It lies by the source of the River Tame
River Tame, Greater Manchester
The River Tame flows through Greater Manchester, England.-Source:The Tame rises on Denshaw Moor in Greater Manchester, close to the border with West Yorkshire but within the historic West Riding of Yorkshire.-Course:...
, high amongst the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
above the village of Delph
Delph
Delph is a village in the Saddleworth civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on the River Tame below the village of Denshaw, east-northeast of Oldham, and north-northwest of Uppermill.The centre of the village has barely...
, 4.6 miles (7.4 km) northeast of Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, and 3.3 miles (5.3 km) north-northwest of Uppermill
Uppermill
Uppermill is a village in Saddleworth—a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies on the River Tame in a valley amongst the South Pennines, east of Oldham, and east-northeast of Manchester...
. It has a population of around 500.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
, Denshaw and its surroundings have provided archaeological evidence of Stone
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
and Bronze Age
Bronze Age Britain
Bronze Age Britain refers to the period of British history that spanned from c. 2,500 until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the era of Iron Age Britain...
activity in the area. The name Denshaw is of Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
derivation, and the oldest part of the village is an ancient hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
.
Built up around the junction of five major roads, until the 20th century, Denshaw consisted mainly of smallholding
Smallholding
A smallholding is a farm of small size.In third world countries, smallholdings are usually farms supporting a single family with a mixture of cash crops and subsistence farming. As a country becomes more affluent and farming practices become more efficient, smallholdings may persist as a legacy of...
s and a few public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s such as the Junction Inn, originally built as a coaching house for travellers. Denshaw is noted for its annual Whit Friday
Whit Friday
Whit Friday, meaning White Friday, is the name given to the first Friday after Pentecost or Whitsun .The day has a cultural significance in northern England, as the date on which the annual Whit Walks are traditionally held...
brass band
Brass band (British style)
A British-style brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardised range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around local industry and communities...
contest.
History
There is evidence of Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
activity around Denshaw; in 2004 Saddleworth Archaeological Trust objected to the construction of a wind farm on a site on Denshaw Moor which had produced more than 200 Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
artefacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
. Human activity in Denshaw continued in the Bronze Age
Bronze Age Britain
Bronze Age Britain refers to the period of British history that spanned from c. 2,500 until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the era of Iron Age Britain...
, as demonstrated by the discovery of a palstave
Palstave
A Palstave is a type of early bronze axe. It was common in the mid Bronze Age in north, western and south-western Europe. In the technical sense, although precise definitions differ, an axe is generally deemed to be a palstave if it is hafted by means of a forked wooden handle kept in place with...
on Wall Green in 1932, when a trench was being dug for a water pipe, and some tools from Denshaw Moor, on the site of the proposed wind farm, which include a ceremonial flint dagger. A Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
may also cross the site.
The name Denshaw is derived from Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
, suggesting a settlement may have existed there during the period of the Danelaw
Danelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
. Denshaw Fold, the oldest part of the village, is an isolated hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of ancient origin. Many of the traditional stone dwellings are listed buildings and are descendants of the cluster of houses first built in the locality during the 16th century. Around 1795, the Junction Inn at Denshaw was erected. It served as a posting house on the Ripponden
Ripponden
Ripponden is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England, near Halifax, on the River Ryburn. It is the site of a Roman settlement, and there is a Roman Road over nearby Blackstone Edge, a rocky ridge of Millstone Grit...
-to-Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
turnpike road (opened in 1798) for the changing of horses and the provision of refreshments.
Industrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
as its surrounding settlements during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, and it did not become a mill town
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
or a centre of the local cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
boom as did nearby Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, Milnrow
Milnrow
Milnrow is a suburban town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines, and forms a continuous urban area with Rochdale...
and Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
. However, Denshaw Vale was a calico printing factory which was "an important concern that employed a workforce of 150" during the 19th century. Furthermore, Denshaw was chosen as the site of a reservoir which local mills were to contribute monies and thereby use; In 1828, Rackenden Deign Reservoir was built by Denshaw to provide for 24 watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s. In 1818 an Oddfellows
Oddfellows
The name Oddfellows refers to a number of friendly societies and fraternal organisations operating in the United Kingdom. It also refers to a number of Lodges with histories dating back to the 18th century. These various organisations were set up to protect and care for their members and...
Lodge was erected in the village. In 1887, Denshaw was documented having a population of 1,279.
In 2003, energy company E.ON UK
E.ON UK
E.ON UK is an energy company in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of E.ON, the world's largest investor-owned power and gas company. As Powergen, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but since 1 July 2002 has been owned by E.ON AG of...
proposed the installation of seven 350 feet (107 m) wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s at Denshaw. This was met with opposition from the local and wider communities, culminating in the Saddleworth Moors Action Group, who were joined by environmentalist David Bellamy
David Bellamy
David James Bellamy OBE is a British author, broadcaster, environmental campaigner and botanist. He has lived in County Durham since 1960.-Career:...
. The council received over 1,000 letters objecting to the proposed wind farm, and although initially accepted by the former Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
local authority, the application was rejected by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
-controlled Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council on 1 March 2006.
On 23 May 2007, Denshaw's post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
(which doubles-up as the village's only shop) was the centre of a robbery. The "tiny premises" has been under threat of closure owing to Post Office
Post Office Ltd.
Post Office Ltd is a retail post office company in the United Kingdom that provides a wide range of products including postage stamps and banking to the public through its nationwide network of post office branches.-Structure:Post Office Ltd...
's modernisation plans and has now closed.
On 17 April 2008, local, national and international media reported on Denshaw's entry on Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
which had been vandalised with spoof information. The entry "attracted unwelcome notoriety after it was targeted" by editors, although the offending material was removed after initial reports were published. The story featured on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's North West Tonight
BBC North West Tonight
BBC North West Tonight is a nightly regional news programme covering the North West of England. Produced by BBC North West, the programme airs at 6.30pm and at 10:25pm every weekday evening and is broadcast from the BBC's MediaCityUK studios at Salford Quays.-BBC North West region:The BBC North...
, a regional news programme, and later picked up by news services as far away as Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Governance
Lying within the ancient county boundariesHistoric counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
since a very early time, during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Denshaw lay within the Saddleworth chapelry
Chapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England, and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. It had a similar status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel which acted as a subsidiary place of worship to the main parish church...
of the ancient parish of Rochdale
Rochdale (ancient parish)
Rochdale was an ecclesiastical parish of early-medieval origin in northern England, administered from the Church of St Chad, Rochdale. At its zenith, it occupied of land amongst the South Pennines, and straddled the historic county boundary between Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire...
. Like the other Yorkshire areas of the ancient parish, it was in the wapentake of Agbrigg
Agbrigg and Morley
Agbrigg and Morley was a wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was split into two divisions, which in the mid-nineteenth century became wapentakes in their own right....
in Yorkshire, with the Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
areas of the ancient parish being in Salfordshire
Salford (hundred)
The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. It was sometimes known as Salfordshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of Salford...
.
The Byrons
Baron Byron
Baron Byron, of Rochdale in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1643, by letters patent, for Sir John Byron, a Cavalier general and former Member of Parliament...
(including Romantic poet
Romantic poetry
Romanticism, a philosophical, literary, artistic and cultural era which began in the mid/late-1700s as a reaction against the prevailing Enlightenment ideals of the day , also influenced poetry...
George Gordon Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
) were prominent land owners in Denshaw. Denshaw was created an ecclesiastical parish in 1864, out of the former Friarmere parochial chapelry. It was in the deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
of Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
from 1864 to 1872. It then became part of Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
deanery until 1881 when it again became part of Ashton-under-Lyne. In 1929, it transferred to Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
deanery. It is currently in Saddleworth Deanery, part of the Archdeanery of Rochdale, in the Anglican Diocese of Manchester
Anglican Diocese of Manchester
The Diocese of Manchester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, England. Based in the city of Manchester, the diocese covers much of the county of Greater Manchester and small areas of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.-History:...
.
From 1894 to 1900, Denshaw lay within Saddleworth Rural District
Rural district
Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...
, a local government district in the administrative
Administrative counties of England
Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974. They were created by the Local Government Act 1888 as the areas for which county councils were elected. Some large counties were divided into several administrative...
County of York, West Riding. In 1900, Denshaw was merged into Saddleworth Urban District
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
, where it stayed until 1974. Under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, the Saddleworth Urban District was abolished, and Denshaw has, since 1 April 1974, formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 219,600, and spans . The borough is named after its largest town, Oldham, but also includes the outlying towns of Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton and Shaw and Crompton, the village of...
, within Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
. Denshaw lies within the Saddleworth North electoral ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
.
Since 1997, Denshaw has formed part of the parliamentary constituency of Oldham East and Saddleworth, and is represented in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
by Debbie Abrahams
Debbie Abrahams
Deborah Angela Elspeth Abrahams is a British politician, who has been the Labour Member of Parliament for the Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency since a by-election in January 2011. Her previous career was as a public health consultant.-Early and professional life:Abrahams was born in...
, a member of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Between 1983 and 1997 it was in the Littleborough and Saddleworth
Littleborough and Saddleworth (UK Parliament constituency)
Littleborough and Saddleworth was a parliamentary constituency in Greater Manchester, England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
constituency.
Geography
At 53°35′32"N 2°2′19"W (53.5921°, -2.0385°) and 165 miles (266 km) north-northwest of London, Denshaw stands about 990 feet (302 m) above sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, 11.4 miles (18.3 km) northeast of Manchester City Centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, on elevated Pennine ground by the River Tame
River Tame, Greater Manchester
The River Tame flows through Greater Manchester, England.-Source:The Tame rises on Denshaw Moor in Greater Manchester, close to the border with West Yorkshire but within the historic West Riding of Yorkshire.-Course:...
, which flows southwesterly from its source near the Dowry and New Years Bridge reservoirs. The land-use of Denshaw, which centres on a road junction
Junction (road)
A road junction is a location where vehicular traffic going in different directions can proceed in a controlled manner designed to minimize accidents. In some cases, vehicles can change between different routes or directions of travel.-Origins:...
, is predominantly residential, the outlying land being a mixture of permanent grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
and heath
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
.
Denshaw lies amongst the South Pennines
South Pennines
South Pennines is a region of moorland and hill country in northern England lying towards the southern end of the Pennines. It is bounded to the west by the Forest of Rossendale and the Yorkshire Dales to the north...
, and is topographically
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
characterised by hilly, upland terrain. Denshaw is not contiguous with any other settlement and for purposes of the Office of National Statistics, does not form part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area
Greater Manchester Urban Area
The Greater Manchester Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the large conurbation that encompasses the city of Manchester and the continuous metropolitan area that spreads outwards from it, forming much of Greater Manchester in North West England...
.
Denshaw experiences a temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
maritime climate
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
, like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters. There is regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year.
There are a number of small named-localities in and around Denshaw, including Denshaw Fold, Cherry Clough, Junction, Old Tame, Slackcote, Grains Bar and Woodbrow.
Landmarks
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
. It is part of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and lies within the Anglican Diocese of Manchester
Anglican Diocese of Manchester
The Diocese of Manchester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, England. Based in the city of Manchester, the diocese covers much of the county of Greater Manchester and small areas of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.-History:...
. A Grade II listed building since 19 June 1967, Christ Church dates from 1863, the year before Denshaw became an ecclesiastical parish. It was built by Henry Gartside, a resident of Denshaw.
Denshaw War Memorial lies within the churchyard. It was erected by public subscription "in honour of the men who fell and served" in the First
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and Second
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
World Wars. The monument has Rolls of Honour containing the 32 names of those from Denshaw who fought and died in these wars.
Transport
Denshaw lies 2.5 miles (4 km) south of the M62 motorwayM62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
, at a road junction
Junction (road)
A road junction is a location where vehicular traffic going in different directions can proceed in a controlled manner designed to minimize accidents. In some cases, vehicles can change between different routes or directions of travel.-Origins:...
where the A640, A672 and A6052 roads
A roads in Zone 6 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
List of A roads in zone 6 in Great Britain starting east of the A6 and A7 roads and west of the A1 .-Single- and double-digit roads:-Triple-digit roads:-Four-digit roads :-Four-digit roads :...
intersect. There are no rail services in Denshaw. Following closure of the Oldham Loop Line, the nearest railway station to Denshaw
Greenfield railway station
Greenfield railway station serves the village of Greenfield, in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England...
is located at Greenfield
Greenfield, Greater Manchester
Greenfield is a village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It is east of Oldham, and east-northeast of the city of Manchester...
.
Two bus routes serve Denshaw. One is the daily 407 service between Denshaw and Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
via Pennine Meadows and Moorside run by Swan's Travel and operating hourly during the daytime. The other is the 354, running from Denshaw to Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
via Delph
Delph
Delph is a village in the Saddleworth civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on the River Tame below the village of Denshaw, east-northeast of Oldham, and north-northwest of Uppermill.The centre of the village has barely...
, Uppermill
Uppermill
Uppermill is a village in Saddleworth—a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies on the River Tame in a valley amongst the South Pennines, east of Oldham, and east-northeast of Manchester...
, Mossley
Mossley
Mossley is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. The town is located in the upper section of the Tame valley in the foothills of the Pennines, northeast of Ashton-under-Lyne and east of Manchester.Mossley has the distinction of...
and Stalybridge
Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically a part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of...
. It is operated by Speedwellbus
Speedwellbus
Speedwellbus is a bus operator based in Hyde, Greater Manchester, England. It operates a fleet of 25 buses on commercial and contracted services. Operations commenced in 2002 with a service between Glossop and Tintwistle, and were expanded with the addition of contracts from Derbyshire County...
and runs every two hours Monday–Saturday daytime. There are no evening journeys on either service, they are replaced by a Local Link demand responsive transport
Demand responsive transport
Demand Responsive Transport or Demand-Responsive Transit or Demand Responsive Service or Dial-a-ride or Flexible Transport Services is "an advanced, user-oriented form of public transport characterised by flexible routing and scheduling of small/medium vehicles operating in shared-ride mode...
service instead. In its guise as the 562 route, it carried on to Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
in West Yorkshire. This was withdrawn in April 2006. At one point, the first and last journeys of the 354 were extended to Rochdale, when the service was worked by Bu-Val Buses earlier on in the 21st century.
Culture and community
Brass Band Sections in Britain
There are five main brass band sections in the United Kingdom: Championship, First, Second, Third, and Fourth. The top bands are in the Championship section, and the bottom ones are in the Fourth section...
, held on every Whit Friday
Whit Friday
Whit Friday, meaning White Friday, is the name given to the first Friday after Pentecost or Whitsun .The day has a cultural significance in northern England, as the date on which the annual Whit Walks are traditionally held...
. The Denshaw Whit Friday Band Contest was established in 1993 and in its first year attracted 25 bands.
Denshaw has a primary school named Christ Church Primary. It is a denominational school with the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, linked with Denshaw's parish church.
Denshaw village hall is the home of an amateur dramatic group and hosts various village activities; the hall was awarded a grant of £10,000 by the Awards for All scheme, a small grants scheme run by the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
.
Denshaw is referred to in Barclay James Harvest
Barclay James Harvest
Barclay James Harvest are an English progressive rock band. They were founded in Saddleworth, Lancashire, in September 1966 by John Lees, Les Holroyd, Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme , and Mel Pritchard .-History:...
's 1993 song Ballad Of Denshaw Mill.
Public services
Home OfficeHome Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
policing in Denshaw is provided by the Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police is the police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England...
. The force's "(Q) Division" have their headquarters for policing the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 219,600, and spans . The borough is named after its largest town, Oldham, but also includes the outlying towns of Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton and Shaw and Crompton, the village of...
at central Oldham; Denshaw's nearest police station is at Uppermill
Uppermill
Uppermill is a village in Saddleworth—a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies on the River Tame in a valley amongst the South Pennines, east of Oldham, and east-northeast of Manchester...
. Public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
is co-ordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester. Statutory emergency fire and rescue service
Fire service in the United Kingdom
The fire services in the United Kingdom operate under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
is provided by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England.Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service covers an area of approximately...
.
There are no hospitals in Denshaw, the nearest being the Royal Oldham Hospital
Royal Oldham Hospital
The Royal Oldham Hospital is a NHS hospital in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It forms part of Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and was opened with its present name on 1 December 1989. Its services are commissioned by NHS Oldham....
, in neighbouring Oldham. Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Pennine Care NHS Trust is a NHS Trust established in April 2002 and became the 100th trust to be awarded Foundation status in July 2008.The Trust provides community and mental health services in Bury, Oldham and the Rochdale borough, as well as mental health services in Stockport and Tameside and...
is the local NHS Trust. The North West Ambulance Service
North West Ambulance Service
The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was formed on 1 July 2006 as part of Health Minister Lord Warner's plans to reduce the number of NHS ambulance service trusts operating in the United Kingdom....
provides emergency patient transport to and from Denshaw. Other forms of health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
are provided for locally by several small clinics and surgeries in and around Saddleworth.
Waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
is co-ordinated by the local authority via the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
The Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority is a waste disposal authority created under the Local Government Act 1985 to carry out the waste management functions and duties of the Greater Manchester County Council after its abolition in 1986....
. Locally produced inert waste
Inert waste
Inert waste is waste which is neither chemically or biologically reactive and will not decompose. Examples of this are sand, drywall, and concrete. This has particular relevance to landfills as inert waste typically requires lower disposal fees than biodegradable waste or hazardous waste....
for disposal is sent to landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
at the Beal Valley. Denshaw's Distribution Network Operator
Distribution Network Operator
Distribution network operators are companies licensed to distribute electricity in Great Britain by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets....
for electricity is United Utilities
United Utilities
United Utilities Group PLC is the UK's largest listed water business. The Group owns and manages the regulated water and waste water network in the north west England, through it subsidiary United Utilities Water PLC , which is responsible for the vast majority of the group's assets and...
. United Utilities also manages Denshaw's drinking
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
and waste water; water supplies being sourced from several local reservoirs, including Dovestones
Dovestones Reservoir
Dovestone Reservoir is a reservoir situated in a valley above the village of Greenfield, in Saddleworth,Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Situated within the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the edge of the Peak District national park in the Pennines...
and Chew.
External links
- www.denshaw.net, Denshaw village life.
- www.aroundsaddleworth.co.uk, Entry about Denshaw.