Originally a small hamlet, it has gradually enlarged over the twentieth century, although the village retains a semi-rural character.

Council housing was built shortly after the Second World War behind ‘The Wheatsheaf' pub, with many of these properties now owner occupied.

Other in-fill building in the village has increased the population of the parish from fewer than 300 in the early 1900s to 534 recorded in the 2001 census.

Royal Ordnance Factory ROF Dunham on the Hill was an explosives storage depot built during World War II.

The Wesleyan Methodist church in the centre of Dunham was the first place of worship to be built in the village.