It occupies a hillside to the immediate south of Oldham town centre, and is bordered by the districts of Coppice and Fitton Hill to, respectively, the north-west and south-east.

Hathershaw, which has no formal boundary or extent, is bisected from north to south by the A627 road which leads to Ashton-under-Lyne.

Historically a part of Lancashire, Hathershaw is one of the oldest recorded named places in Oldham, the name occurring in a deed for 1280 with the spelling Halselinechaw Clugh.

[1] Existing as a manor house in the 15th century, Hathershaw Hall was the home of a Royalist family in the 17th century who lost part of their possessions as a result of the English Civil War.

[1] Hathershaw, an area identified by the Housing Market Renewal Initiative as having terraced residences unsuited to modern needs, is currently undergoing gentrification.