[5] 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.

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.

[8] 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.

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.

[citation needed] Similarly, until the early 20th century, anyone entering a Denton shop without a hat would receive much cursing.

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 connected to the London & North Western Railway's line from Guide Bridge to Stockport by a standard gauge 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.

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, intended to link local collieries to the Stockport branch of the Ashton Canal at Reddish, which was partially built and then abandoned.

In 1865, Joseph Oldham established a millwright general engineering shop and by 1887 this company was manufacturing machinery for the hat-making 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.

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.

[10] 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.

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.

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.

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 group fundraise and rely on generous donations to continue cultivating educational, cultural, and commercial links between Denton and its twin towns.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.

He was elected in 2005 to represent the Denton and Reddish seat, after long-serving MP Andrew Bennett retired.

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.

The Victorian St Anne's Church, Haughton, is a Grade I listed building, and is built in the Gothic Revival style.

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 had a long history of Sri Lankan professionals including the first, Test Player Tony Opatha, in 1976.

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.

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.