Editing Denton, Greater Manchester

{{Short description|Town in Greater Manchester, England}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| coordinates              = {{coord|53.4554|-2.1122|display=inline,title}}
| population               = 36,591
| population_ref           = (2011)
| official_name            = Denton
| metropolitan_borough     = [[Tameside]]
| region                   = North West England
| metropolitan_county      = [[Greater Manchester]]
| constituency_westminster1 = [[Denton and Reddish (UK Parliament constituency)|Denton and Reddish]]
| constituency_westminster2 = [[Gorton and Denton (UK Parliament constituency)|Gorton and Denton]]
| post_town                = MANCHESTER
| postcode_district        = M34
| postcode_area            = M
| dial_code                = 0161
| os_grid_reference        = SJ925954
| static_image_name        = Denton Town Hall.jpg
| static_image_caption     = [[Denton Town Hall]]
| london_distance          = 202.4 mi
}}

'''Denton''' is a town in [[Tameside]], [[Greater Manchester]], England, five miles (8&nbsp;km) east of [[Manchester city centre]].  [[Historic counties of England|Historically]] part of [[Lancashire]], it had a population of 36,591 at the 2011 Census.<ref>{{Cite web
 | title = Population Data 2011 Census
 | publisher = ONS
 | url = http://www.citypopulation.de/php/uk-england-northwestengland.php?cityid=E35000254}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
 | title = See Ward Profiles for Denton North East, Denton West (Dane Bank) and Denton South
 | publisher = Tameside MBC and ONS data from 2001 Census
 | url = http://www.tameside.gov.uk/Denton}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
 | title = Urban Areas in the North 2001 Census
 | publisher = ONS
 | url = http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-areas-in-the-north/urban-areas-in-the-north-part-4.pdf}}</ref>

== History ==

===Toponymy===
Denton probably derives its name from Dane-town, an etymology supported by other place names in the area such as Danehead-bank and Daneditch-bourne.<ref>{{Cite web
 | title = Denby – Denton, West
 | work = A Topographical Dictionary of England
 | year = 1848
 | pages = 28–32
 | agency = University of London & History of Parliament Trust
 | publisher = British History Online
 | url = http://british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=50917
 | access-date = 22 April 2007}}</ref> The word 'Dane' is itself derived from [[Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] ''denu'', ''dene'', ''daenland'', meaning a valley. So literally Denton means valley town.

===Prehistory===
A [[Byzantine]] coin was discovered in Danesheadbank, dating from the sixth or seventh century, as part of the Denton coin hoard.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Mike Nevell |year=1992 |title=Tameside Before 1066 |page=76 |publisher=Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council |isbn=1-871324-07-6}}</ref> The early medieval linear earthwork [[Nico Ditch]] passes through Denton; it was probably used as an administrative boundary and dates from the 8th or 9th centuries. A 300&nbsp;m stretch is still visible on Denton golf course, about 4&nbsp;m wide and 1.5&nbsp;m deep.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Mike Nevell |year=1998 |title=Lands and Lordships in Tameside |publisher=Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council with the [[Manchester University|University of Manchester Archaeological Unit]] |pages=40–41 |isbn=1-871324-18-1}}</ref>

===Middle Ages===
In the early 13th century it lay within the [[Manorialism|Manor]] of Withington, a feudal estate which also encompassed the townships of [[Withington]], [[Didsbury]], [[Chorlton-cum-Hardy]], [[Moss Side]], [[Rusholme]], [[Burnage]] and [[Haughton, Greater Manchester|Haughton]], ruled by the Hathersage, Longford, Mosley and Tatton families.<ref>{{Cite book
|last= Sussex & Helm
|title= Looking Back at Withington and Didsbury
|page=45
|publisher= Willow
|year= 1988
|isbn= 0-946361-25-8}}</ref>

===Hat industry===
Felt hatting was recorded in Denton as early as 1702 and Denton gained supremacy in the hatting industry towards the end of the 19th century. The increasing importance of Denton and Haughton as centres of felt hat production is demonstrated by the increase of manufacturers in the area: in 1800 there were 4 hatting firms in Denton and Haughton, but by 1825 there were 25 manufacturers, making it the third largest hat making centre in the north west. By 1840, 24,000 felt hats were produced in Denton a week. The prosperity of the hatting industry is reflected in the growth of the town from 2,501 in 1801 to 6,759 in 1841.<ref name="Hat making">{{Cite book|author=Mike Nevell, Brian Grimsditch and Ivan Hradil |year=2007 |title=Denton and the Archaeology of the Felt Hatting Industry |publisher=Tameside Metropolitan Borough and [[Manchester University|University of Manchester Archaeological Unit]] |pages=26, 29–32, 40, 74–76 |isbn=978-1-871324-36-5}}</ref>

During the 1840s, the felt hat industry went into depression; the recession affected Denton, with wages in the area falling by 35% and only 12 hat manufacturers remaining in Denton. The depression was partially due to changes in fashion away from felt towards silk hats. The revitalisation of the felt hat industry came in the 1850s, once again on a whim of fashion but also the increased use of machinery led to reduced production costs. The resurgence was demonstrated by the doubling of the number of hat manufacturers in the town between 1861 and 1872. At its peak in the Edwardian period, Denton's felt hat industry was the largest felt hat manufacturing centre in Britain{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}. There were 36 firms directly involved in the felt hat making industry. In 1907 the majority of the 16,428,000 felt hats made in England (worth £2,068,000) were made in Denton and Stockport. In 1921, the working population of Denton was 9,653 with about 41% of those people in occupations related to the hatting industry. The last hat factory in Denton closed in 1980.<ref name="Hat making" />

Although the felt hat industry in Denton and Haughton was prosperous and an integral part of the town, working conditions in the factories were not risk free. One of the problems workers faced was [[mercury poisoning]]; mercury was used to separate the fur from the rabbit hide and workers were in regular contact with fur impregnated with mercury or exposed to mercury vapour. Inadequate ventilation in some parts of the hat making process led to other sorts of dangers; solvents were also used and on 14 January 1901 there was an explosion at the factory of Joseph Wilson & Sons in Denton, killing 13 people and injuring many more. The explosion was of vapour from methylated spirits used in the dying process.<ref name="Hat making" />

Throughout the 19th century and well into the 20th century, a wide range of hats was manufactured to suit all tastes and purses. The names used by the competing manufacturers to describe their products was bewildering and some of these were; felt hats, silk hats, fur hats, wear fur hats, soft hats, stiff hats, velour hats, wool hats, straw hats and, of course, the ubiquitous [[cloth cap]]. In the 1930s the 'Attaboy' [[trilby|trilby hat]] was introduced by the Denton Hat Company. This brand quickly became famous and it was in production for many years. Ladies' hats were not forgotten either and at least one works specialised in making these and the hat master's wife designed them at home. Hats were made for home consumption and for export. The well-known slogan "''If you want to get ahead, get a hat''" arose in Denton{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} and, needless to say, anyone attending for a job interview not wearing a hat was quickly shown the door.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} Similarly, until the early 20th century, anyone entering a Denton shop without a hat would receive much cursing.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} The term, "''mad as a hatter''" also arose in Denton{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} because the mercury used in the felting process led to mercury poisoning.

In 2003, the prominent Wilson's Hat Factory on Wilton Street, together with the adjacent mill-workers' houses, other factories, Wilton Street Chapel and Mainstream Studios was demolished to make way for a new retail shopping park 'Crown Point North'.

=== Coal mining ===
[[File:Denton greater manchester from the air.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Viewed from the air, looking west]]
Denton is on the Lancashire [[coalfield]] and once had a number of collieries. These included the Ellis Colliery (which became Denton Colliery), Top Pit, Hard Mine Pit and, further south and near to the River Tame, Hulmes Pit. Much of the coal that they produced was consumed by local industry, there being an abundance of steam powered mills in the area.

Denton Colliery was the largest of these mines and eventually absorbed the other local pits, often using their shafts for ventilation or, in the case of Hulmes Pit, as a pumping station to drain water from the main workings. Denton Colliery was connected to the [[London & North Western Railway]]'s line from [[Guide Bridge]] to [[Stockport]] by a standard gauge [[Tramway (industrial)|tramway]]. The tramway was worked by steam power, rather than horses, as evidenced by a photograph held in the Tameside Local History Library archives.

In 1926, miners at Denton Colliery joined the national strike against reduced wages and longer working hours. This dispute led to the [[1926 United Kingdom general strike|General Strike]] (3–12 May 1926). When the General Strike was called off, coal miners stayed out for several more months.

As the strike started to crumble, miners at Denton Colliery remained steadfast, not returning to work until 5 November 1926,<ref name="ReferenceA">C. Wilkins-Jones, ''Tameside'', Tameside Metropolitan Libraries Committee, 1978</ref> some 6 weeks and one day after their colleagues at the nearby Ashton Moss Colliery, the only other significant colliery left in Tameside at that time. They returned to face longer working hours and their pre-strike rates of pay.

Unfortunately, months without maintenance during the strike had taken their toll on many coal mines. Denton Colliery had flooded to the extent that it was no longer workable and the Denton Colliery Co. went into voluntary liquidation in 1929. The headstock was demolished in 1932 and the shaft was finally filled and capped in 1974.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

Some traces of Denton Colliery can still be found. The colliery offices on Stockport Road still stand and are now the showroom of a company of monumental stonemasons. Behind the office building is a small section of wall from the colliery. On the opposite side of the road and slightly nearer to Crown Point is the building that once housed the local mines rescue station, now two private houses. Two miner's cottages, much altered and now converted into one house, stand near the junction of Stockport Road and Cemetery Road. The foundations of Hulmes Pit were excavated in the early 1970s and can still be seen. Parts of the track bed of the tramway to Denton Colliery can still be traced, both on modern maps and on the ground, as can traces of a canal, known as the [[Beat Bank Branch Canal|Beat Bank Branch]], intended to link local collieries to the [[Stockport Branch Canal|Stockport branch]] of the [[Ashton Canal]] at [[Reddish]], which was partially built and then abandoned.

=== Oldham Batteries ===
 
After hatting, the most important industry in Denton was the manufacture of [[Lead-acid battery|lead-acid batteries]] by Oldham Batteries (Oldham & Son Ltd). In 1865, Joseph Oldham established a millwright general engineering shop and by 1887 this company was manufacturing machinery for the hat-making industry. Another important industry in the area was coal mining and shortly after 1887 the company began making machinery and equipment for this industry, which included miners' portable lamps. Up to this time, miners had always used the safety lamp devised in 1815 by Sir [[Humphry Davy]] (1778–1829) but this new battery-powered [[Davy lamp]] eventually replaced the traditional safety lamp.

In 1920, the manufacture of automotive batteries for commercial vehicles, cars and motorcycles commenced and over the years this business expanded into the manufacture of traction batteries, which also included submarine batteries.

Nonetheless, the company never converted exclusively to the manufacture of batteries and they still continued to make machinery for the hatting industry, general engineering equipment, portable lamps and lighting systems as well as helmet-lamps and other related equipment for the mining industry. It also produced attachments for the mechanical handling industry.

Oldham Batteries became a major Denton employer with over 1,000 employees, but by the beginning of 2002 the decision to close the factory had been made. The factory, which used to be off Lime Grove, Denton, is no longer there. It has been demolished, and a planning application for a further housing and a Wellness centre agreed, the latter of which was completed and opened in early 2020.  The housing is still currently (as of 2022) being built.  Both of these projects required considerable clean up of the ground, given the previous use and the associated lead and other chemical contamination.

==Governance==

===Civic history and councillors===
Denton was originally one of the [[township (England)|townships]] of the [[Manchester (ancient parish)|ancient parish of Manchester]] in the [[Salford (hundred)|Salford Hundred]] of Lancashire. In 1866 it became a [[Civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in its own right.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10347385&c_id=10001043 |title=Denton Ch/CP |work=A vision of Britain through time |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001030511/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10347385&c_id=10001043 |archive-date=1 October 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref> The parish was expanded in 1894 by the inclusion of the Haughton township, the former area of which now covers the eastern part of the town.<ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10347385&c_id=10001043 Vision of Britain] – Boundaries of Denton with 1894 enlargement shown {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001020946/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10347385&c_id=10001043 |date=1 October 2007 }}</ref> The name of Haughton survives as local place names at Haughton Green and Haughton Dale, both in south Denton. Clues to the former township do still exist at Haughton Street, Haughton Hall Road, the Parish [[St Anne's Church, Haughton Green|Church of St. Anne, Haughton]], and etched onto an ancient [[boundary marker]] on Broomstair Bridge on the A57 Hyde Road – (CHESHIRE Township of Hyde | Township of Haughton LANCASHIRE). Also in 1894 the enlarged parish became [[Denton Urban District]] in the [[Administrative counties of England|administrative county]] of Lancashire.

In 1974 Denton's [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|Urban District]] status was abolished and its assets and area were transferred to form part of the new [[Metropolitan Borough]] of Tameside in the [[metropolitan county]] of Greater Manchester.<ref>Arnold-Baker, C., ''Local Government Act 1972'', (1973)</ref>

Since 1974, Denton has consisted of three council wards on Tameside Council; Denton North East, Denton South and Denton West, each returning three councillors. The new wards took the same format as the original six Denton UDC wards (which were East, North, South-east, South, South-west and West). There have been minor ward boundary changes in 1982 and 2004. Denton West is the most Conservative-inclined of the three wards, and from 1975 to 1991 had Conservative Party representation. No Conservative councillor has been elected since 1987 in the town, although the party came within 13 votes of re-gaining the Denton West seat in 2008 on the back of government unpopularity over the abolition of the 10p tax rate and the proposals for a congestion charge in Greater Manchester with the proposed outer charging zone cutting the ward in two.

After the most recent local elections held in May 2022, the nine councillors for the town are:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"| Denton North East!! Denton South!! Denton West
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| Vincent Ricci
| Jack Naylor
| Mike Smith
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| Allison Gwynne
| Claire Reid
| Brenda Warrington
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| Denise Ward
| George Newton
| George Jones
|}



Since 1998 there has been a degree of devolution, with District Assemblies established in the Tameside townships and consisting of the councillors and an advisory group. Assembly meetings are open to the public. Each Assembly has a town manager and devolved staff and budgets to deal with local services such as grounds maintenance, road repairs, parks, Britain in Bloom, community events, youth services, crime and disorder and town centre regeneration. The Denton and Audenshaw District Assembly controls an annual budget in excess of £1.5m. The old council chamber in [[Denton Town Hall]] was refurbished to provide a permanent home and meeting place for the Denton and [[Audenshaw]] District Assembly as the town's millennium project in 2000.

Since its formation the District Assembly Chairs have been: Andrew Gwynne (1998–2001); Mike Craven (2001–2004); Allison Gwynne (2004–2005); Margaret Downs (2005–present).

===Twinning===
[[File:Mayors on Denton Twinning Day.jpg|thumb|left|Chairman George Newton, Mayor of Kierspe, Mayoral Consort and Civic Mayor of Tameside Cllr Brenda Warrington, Mayor and Mayoress of Montigny and Deputy Mayor of Montigny on Denton Town Twinning Day, 22 September 2012]]

On 5 December 1992, Denton became a [[twin-town]] to [[Montigny-le-Bretonneux|Montigny le Bretonneux]], near Paris, France. On one side of the town hall, there is a 'French road sign' which was a gift from the Municipal Authority in Montigny and states how far it is to Montigny le Bretonneux from Denton. There is a similar 'English road sign' outside Montigny's Town Hall pointing to Denton. Denton celebrated 20 years of twinning in September 2012.

For ten years the French sign on Denton Town Hall pointed north, implying that Denton's French twin-town is located in the sea somewhere to the west of [[Orkney]]. However, Tameside MBC installed a 'mock' French road sign, pointing left (i.e. south) in February 2007.

Since September 2012, Denton has been twinned with [[Kierspe]] in north west Germany, near [[Cologne]], which in itself has been twinned with Montigny for 25 years.

There is a similar road sign to Kierspe displayed on the wall of the town hall building that points in a southerly direction, indicating that you may find it close to Le Mans in France, rather than Germany where Kierspe is currently located.

The town twinning is run independently of the local authority and is run by volunteers who sit on the Denton Town Twinning Association. The group fundraise and rely on generous donations to continue cultivating educational, cultural, and commercial links between Denton and its twin towns.{{Clear}}

===Parliamentary representation===
The area of the former Denton urban district initially formed part of the Gorton Parliamentary Division of South East Lancashire from 1885 to 1918; it then became part of the Lancashire, Mossley Parliamentary Division from boundary changes effective in that year's election until 1950. From 1950 to 1955 the town was contained within the short-lived Droylsden constituency. From 1955 to 1983 Denton was re-grouped with Gorton to form the Manchester, Gorton constituency. From the 1983 boundary changes until 2024, Denton formed part of the [[Denton and Reddish (UK Parliament constituency)|Denton and Reddish parliamentary constituency]]. In 2024, the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies came into effect, with Denton joining Gorton, Longsite and Levenshulme to become the Gorton and Denton Constituency. [[Andrew Gwynne]] is Denton's current Member of Parliament. He was elected in 2005 to represent the Denton and Reddish seat, after long-serving MP [[Andrew Bennett (politician)|Andrew Bennett]] retired. He remained the MP for Denton as part of the new Denton and Gorton Constituency after the 2023 boundary changes.

'''Members of Parliament representing Denton since 1885:'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Election!!Member!!Party!! Parliamentary constituency
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
| [[1885 United Kingdom general election|1885]]
| [[Richard Peacock]]
| [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
| S.E. Lancs., Gorton Division
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
| [[1889 Gorton by-election|1889 by-election]]
| Sir [[William Mather]]
| [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
| S.E. Lancs., Gorton Division
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| [[1895 United Kingdom general election|1895]]
|rowspan="2"| [[Sir Ernest Hatch, 1st Baronet|Ernest Frederic George Hatch]]
| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| S.E. Lancs., Gorton Division
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |
| ''1904''
| [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
| S.E. Lancs., Gorton Division
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| [[1906 United Kingdom general election|1906]]
| [[John Hodge (UK politician)|John Hodge]]
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| S.E. Lancs., Gorton Division
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Coalition Liberal}}" |
| [[1918 United Kingdom general election|1918]]
|rowspan="2"| [[Austin Hopkinson]]
| [[Coalition Liberal]]
| Lancs., Mossley Division
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Independent (politics)}}" |
| [[1922 United Kingdom general election|1922]]
| [[Independent (politics)|Independent]]
| Lancs., Mossley Division
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| [[1929 United Kingdom general election|1929]]
| [[Herbert Gibson (politician)|Herbert Gibson]]
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| Lancs., Mossley Division
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|National Independent}}" |
| [[1931 United Kingdom general election|1931]]
| [[Austin Hopkinson]]
| [[National Independent]]
| Lancs., Mossley Division
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Co-operative}}" |
| [[1945 United Kingdom general election|1945]]
| [[George Savile Woods|Rev. George Savile Woods]]
| [[Labour Co-operative|Labour Co-op]]
| Lancs., Mossley Division
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Co-operative}}" |
| [[1950 United Kingdom general election|1950]]
| [[George Savile Woods|Rev. George Savile Woods]]
| [[Labour Co-operative|Labour Co-op]]
| Droylsden Borough
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| [[1951 United Kingdom general election|1951]]
| [[William Williams (Labour politician)|William Richard Williams]]
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| Droylsden Borough
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| [[1955 United Kingdom general election|1955]]
| [[Konni Zilliacus]]
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| Manchester, Gorton Borough
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| [[1967 Manchester Gorton by-election|1967 by-election]]
| [[Kenneth Marks]]
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| Manchester, Gorton Borough
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]]
| [[Andrew Bennett (politician)|Andrew Bennett]]
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| Denton and Reddish Borough
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005]]
| [[Andrew Gwynne]]
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| Denton and Reddish Borough
|}

==Landmarks==
[[File:Denton War Memorial.jpg|thumb|Denton War Memorial]]
There is one main war memorial, or cenotaph, in Denton, located in Victoria Park. This memorial commemorates people from Denton and Haughton who served in two world wars. The names on the war memorial were collected from their relatives who wrote to the council with details of their loved ones who served in either war. The war memorial was unveiled on 23 July 1921. Figures from the Denton section of the Tameside council website, state that 3,500 Denton men served in the Great War (1914–1918), of that number, 369 people were killed.

The oldest church in Denton is [[St Lawrence's Church, Denton|St. Lawrence's]]. It is almost 500 years old, originally built in 1531. It is a [[Listed building|listed]] Grade II* building.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Mike Nevell |year=1991 |title=Tameside 1066–1700 |publisher=Tameside Metropolitan Borough and [[Manchester University|University of Manchester Archaeological Unit]] |pages=80, 86, 123–4, 136 |isbn=1-871324-02-5}}</ref> The church is also known locally as "Th'owd Peg" (the old peg) due to the fact, as a [[timber framing|timber-framed]] building, it was constructed with wooden pegs rather than nails. It is more commonly known as the black and white church, because of its appearance. A local myth is also said to have a pirate buried within its grounds because of a grave stone marked with a skull and crossbones at its front door. In a more thorough investigation and article printed by Denton Local History Society (1995), it was found that the gravestone was actually a masonic gravestone belonging to a deceased Soldier named Samuel Bromley from the Royal Artillery.

The [[Victorian era|Victorian]] St Anne's Church, Haughton, is a Grade I listed building, and is built in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] style.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Mike Nevell |year=1993 |title=Tameside 1700–1930 |publisher=Tameside Metropolitan Borough and [[Manchester University|University of Manchester Archaeological Unit]] |page=143 |isbn=1-871324-08-4}}</ref>

==Transport==

[[File:M60 motorway, Denton.jpg|thumb|The [[M60 motorway]] at Denton, approaching [[Bredbury]]]]

The town is served by [[Denton railway station]] on the [[Stockport-Stalybridge Line]]. There is only a threadbare service, with only two passenger trains a week on Saturday mornings; these are known as [[Parliamentary train]]s. The line is used regularly by goods and charter trains.

The area's bus services are provided by [[Stagecoach Manchester]], with links to [[Hattersley]], [[Manchester city centre]], [[Gee Cross]], [[Stockport]], [[Haughton Green]] and [[Ashton-under-Lyne]]. Local routes include:
* 201: between Hattersley and Manchester city centre, via Hyde, Denton and Gorton
* 202: between Gee Cross and Manchester city centre, via Hyde, Haughton Green, Denton and Gorton
* 322: between Haughton Green and Stockport, via Denton, Brinnington and Portwood
* 324: between Stockport and Haughton Green, via Portwood, Brinnington and Denton
* 327: between Denton and Stockport, via Brinnington and Portwood
* 335: between Ashton-under-Lyne and Denton, via Dukinfield
* 345: between Ashton-under-Lyne and Denton, via Dukinfield and Audenshaw
* 347: between Ashton-under-Lyne and Haughton Green, via Guide Bridge, Audenshaw and Denton.

The M67 ''Denton Relief Road'' motorway was constructed between 1978 and 1981, running east to west through Denton; originally, this was planned to be part of a motorway running from central Manchester to [[Sheffield]].  At [[Denton Island]], the M67 (J1) connects with the M60 Manchester Ring Road (J24).

== Education ==
{{further|List of schools in Tameside}}

===Primary schools===
*Corrie Primary and Nursery School
*Denton West End Primary School
*Greswell Primary School
*Linden Road Primary School
*Manor Green Primary and Nursery School
*Russell Scott Primary School
*St Anne's Primary School
*St John Fisher RC Primary School 
*St Mary's RC Primary School

===Secondary schools===
*[[Denton Community College|Denton Community college]] (formerly [[Egerton Park Arts College]] and Two Trees Sports College)
*[[St Thomas More RC College]] 
<!--===Colleges and Sixth Forms===-->

== Sport ==

'''Cricket'''

Denton is home to three semi-professional [[cricket]] clubs, all of which play in the [[Greater Manchester Cricket League]].

Denton CC play at Egerton Street. They were league champions in 1994 and 1995 and runners up in 1998; their previous professionals include [[West Indies]] players [[Malcolm Marshall]] and [[Kenneth Benjamin]].

Denton West CC, known as Reddish & Gorton CC until 1947, play at Windsor Park in the Dane Bank area of Denton. Denton West had a long history of Sri Lankan professionals including the first, Test Player [[Tony Opatha]], in 1976. They were league champions in 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010 and 2013, and Walkden Cup winners in 1975, 1998, 2009, 2012 and 2014.

Denton St Lawrence CC play at Sycamore Park and their 2005 professional was West Indian Ryan Nurse. In July 2005, they won the Walkden Cup for the first time in 30 years defeating [[Flowery Field Cricket Club]].

'''Football'''

Denton Town FC currently play in the Cheshire Football League Division One, after winning the Division Two championship in 2011. The club was formed in 1920 as Bradford Parish and was a force in local non-league football for many years before relocating with a change of name in the mid-1990s; their ground is now on the Whittles Park Estate in south-east Denton.

== Notable people ==
*[[Jimmy Armfield]], Freeman of the Borough of [[Blackpool]]
*Thomas Bowler (17 September 1826 – 15 September 1893) and his uncle William (25 January 1808 – 1878),  hatters<ref>{{Cite book| last = Hopkins | first = Susie | title = Oxford Dictionary of National Biography | url = http://www.oxforddnb.com | access-date = 29 November 2006 | year = 2004 | publisher = Oxford University Press | chapter = Bowler, William | chapter-url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/articleHL/63532 }}</ref>
*[[Mick Hucknall]], lead singer of [[Simply Red]] 
*[[Zach Clough]],  Professional footballer for [[Adelaide United]] 
*[[Paul Lake]], played for [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] 
*[[Alan Wren|Alan "Reni" Wren]], drummer for [[The Stone Roses]]
*[[Col Needham]], creator of the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) 
*[[Jean Stubbs]], British author 
* [[Colin Haughton]], badminton singles player

==See also==
{{portal|Greater Manchester}}
*[[Listed buildings in Denton, Greater Manchester]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203948/http://www.tameside.gov.uk/corpgen/new/dentonmenu.html Tameside Council website] – Section about Denton
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130323074052/http://www.virtual-tameside.net/stlawrences.html Virtual Tameside site] – Information about St. Lawrence's Church
*[http://dentonlocalhistorysociety.co.uk/ dentonlocalhistorysociety.co.uk] – Official Webpage of the Denton Local History Society
*[http://www.dentonmanchester.co.uk Denton Manchester] – Resources on Denton

{{Greater Manchester}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Denton, Greater Manchester| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:Geography of Tameside]]
[[Category:Hatmaking]]