Denshaw’s story
11 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Denshaw’s built-up area.
53% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
DenshawGreater Manchester
599 people live in this village in Greater Manchester, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Stephen Armstrong · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
599
Census 2021 · Oldham council
Median home
£328K
25 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.7
23% are 65+ · Greater Manchester 16%
Degree level
41%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Denshaw a good place to live?
There are no grades for Denshaw: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. 53% of homes were built before 1919. On the way to work, 10% walk, cycle or take a bus or train.
What makes Denshaw stand out
The 3 things Denshaw does most differently from other towns.
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
23% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Denshaw.
Who lives here
Children make up only 13% of Denshaw, fewer than in both Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns
48.7median age
Denshaw has a median age of 48.7. Nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over, higher than both Greater Manchester’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 9.1% of residents.
DenshawGreater ManchesterEngland
Ages · share of residents
23%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level41%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 85 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Denshaw | Greater Manchester | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.1% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 24% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 16% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.3% | 5.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Greater Manchester and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Denshaw
There is one school here; it is shown below. At the 5 primary schools within 3 km, three in five pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its one primary school teaches 47 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christ Church CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 47 | C+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Work tends to be further away for Denshaw: 9% commute under 5 km, below Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns
10%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
87% of commuters drove, above Greater Manchester’s towns (72%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. In 2026, 1.9% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits. Income per household averages £55K a year, before tax.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot5%
Bus3%
Bicycle1%
9%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£55K
mean household income, before tax
1.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
More households own their home in Denshaw than in Greater Manchester’s towns or across England’s towns: 76%
£328Kmedian sale
Homes sold for a median £328K, above both Greater Manchester’s towns (£225K) and England’s towns (£308K). 7% of households live in social housing. Renting privately is how 16% of households live.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Denshaw£328K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £600,000 | 9 |
| Terraced | £259,000 | 12 |
76%
of households own their home · England 61%
16%
rent privately · England 21%
£942
average private rent a month, Oldham council area
£2,625
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
More people in Denshaw say their health is bad than in Greater Manchester’s towns or across England’s towns: 6.8%
84%good or very good health
84% of Denshaw’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above both Greater Manchester’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%). This Greater Manchester town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.1 miles away. The nearest A&E to Denshaw is Royal Oldham Hospital, 4.2 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Denshaw | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.8% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
81.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.3
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
Much of Denshaw is a conservation area: 100% of its land, more than in both Greater Manchester’s towns and England’s towns
11listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Per 10,000 residents, Denshaw counts 184 listed buildings. Historic England’s list names 11 listed buildings here, every one Grade II.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II11
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
53%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
184
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Denshaw
13pages on Denshaw
The big questions
SafetyNo police.uk data for Greater ManchesterCost of livingMedian home £328K · rent £942 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street Oldham RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 81.5 (men), 85.3 (women)Work & commute47% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
About Denshaw
Village in Greater Manchester, England
Denshaw is a built-up area of 599 people, in the Oldham council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
- Population
- 599 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Oldham
- County
- Greater Manchester
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001107
Denshaw’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
DelphNewheyShawDobcrossMilnrowLeesUppermillDenshaw
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denshaw | 599 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Delph | 2,282 | 1.8 | — | D− | — | B+ |
| Newhey | 2,711 | 2.4 | — | C− | — | C− |
| Shaw | 18,249 | 2.5 | — | D | — | C− |
| Dobcross | 1,569 | 2.6 | — | D− | — | A− |
| Milnrow | 9,237 | 3.2 | — | D | — | C− |
| Lees | 12,641 | 3.6 | — | D | — | C− |
| Uppermill | 11,207 | 3.6 | — | D− | — | A− |
Delph and Dobcross have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Delph, Newhey, Shaw, Dobcross, Milnrow, Lees and Uppermill have no Safety Grade: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish to police.uk. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Denshaw
How many listed buildings are there in Denshaw?
That is 7.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Denshaw safe?
We can’t say from police.uk: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish street-level crime data there, so Denshaw has no Safety Grade. Greater Manchester Police’s own figures cover whole boroughs, not towns.
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.