Greenfield | Yorkshire guide - information, travel, places to go, things to do

Historic county of Yorkshire

GreenfieldGreenfield is one of the several villages of the civil parish of Saddleworth which are distinctly Yorkshire villages but to the west side of the Pennine watershed, although they are almost surrounded by Pennine hills.

The village together with the others in the Saddleworth civil paarish were part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until the local government reorganisation of 1974 when they were placed in the Oldham metropolitan borough in the Greater Manchester metropolitan county.

Historic Yorkshire accounts for just over half the land area of the metropolitan borough based in Oldham, a town historically part of Lancashire. Greenfield was never part of Lancashire.

Saddleworth Marina, GreenfieldUppermill is 4 miles east of Oldham, 8 miles south-east of Rochdale, 9 miles west-south-west of Holmfirth , 12 miles south-west of Huddersfield and 11 miles north-east of Manchester.

Greenfield is situated on the River Tame at the point where it is joined by Chew Brook and is also on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, where the village has a marina.

The village is situated beneath the rugged moors of the Pennines and is at the edge of the Peak District National Park, which starts around half-a-mile to the east of the village centre. The Dove Stones Reservoir at the edge of the National Park is a popular local beauty spot while high on a moor above the village can be seen the Saddleworth Memorial obelisk and The Pots and Pans rocks which can be reached by some steep walking routes.

Dove Stones Reservoir, GreenfieldThe rich history of the area, with relics of the Bronze Age and Roman times, can be traced through the Saddleworth Museum in Uppermill about a mile away as well as by visiting some of the historic sites themselves. The village has a more recent history of both cotton and woollen textiles.

Greenfield has a station on the trans-Pennine main line while another line which ran through the village is now a greenway.

The village will be on the route of the first day of the 2027 Tour de France Femmes Grand Départ on Friday July 30, 2027.

Village features

Chew Valley Road, Greenfield

The village has a supermarket and some traditional shops.

Uppermill has a Post Office branch in Chew Valley Road.

Greenfield Library, run by Oldham Council, is at Chew Vale.

Uppermill has a phamacy.
The Clarence, Chew Valley Road, Greenfield

The village has a selection of pubs.

The village has a cafe, pub food and a takeaway.

The River Tame passes beneath a bridge at Chew Valley Road.

Greenfield Methodist Church

Uppermill is on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

St Mary's Church, Greenfield, is situated at Park Lane just off the Holmfirth Road at the edge of the village.

CoE in Saddleworth web pages.

Greenfield Methodist Church is in Chew Valley Road in the centre of the village.

Greenfield Methodist Church social media page.

Sport

Saddleworth Rangers ARLFC play Amateur Rugby League at Shaw Hall Bank Road, Greenfield

Saddleworth Rangers ARLFC social media page.

Tame Valley Squash and Tennis Club is at Greenbridge Lane, Greenfield.

Tame Valley Squash and Tennis Club official website.

Greenfield Cricket Club, Ladhill Lane

Greenfield Cricket Club is at Ladhill Lane, Greenfield.

Greenfield Cricket Club web page.

Places to visit

Brownhill Countryside Centre

Wool Road, Dobcross

The centre is alongside the Huddersfield Narrow Canal near to where it crosses the River Tame, less than a mile north of the centre of Uppermill. It is has a nature garden access by ramped walkway and features woodland, meadow and pond habitats. There is also a gazebo and bird hide. The centre has a picnic site, cafe and upstairs countryside displays and information.

Castleshaw Roman Forts

Footpath access. Nearest parking at Waterworks Road, off A62 Huddersfield Road, near Delph , Greater Manchester (historic West Riding of Yorkshire)
Across footpaths on a remote Pennine hillside are the earthwork remains of a succession of two forts built by the Roman army and used over a time-span of nearly 50 years during the period of their progression through Yorkshire as they invaded Britain. The first fort was built around AD 79 and a second down-sized fortlet built in AD 105 and used for about 20 years as it served the Roman road between Chester and York. By this time the Romans were securing a much more northerly boundary with the building of Hadrian's Wall. Today, little can actually be seen in the field where the forts were built other than remains of the raised rectangular earth bank ramparts, which would in Roman times have been higher and supported a wooden barricade wall. Alongside, however, there are interesting information boards explaining what would have been there in Roman times. The forts, which now have a scheduled monument status, have been the site of extensive archeological investigation at various times since the 1890s and more can be found out about these at the Saddleworth Museum in Uppermill . Saddleworth is an area of the south Pennines which was in the West Riding of Yorkshire, but which now makes up around half of the metropolitan borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester.

Find on map:

Castleshaw Roman Forts

Dove Stone Reservoir

Dove Stones Reservoir

Bank Lane, Greenfield
Dove Stones Reservoir and the adjoining Yeoman Hey Reservoir is a local beauty spot in the Chew Valley with spectacular scenery around the reservoirs and woodland plantations at the edge of the Peak District National Park. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds runs a reserve and trails in partnership with reservoir managers United Utilities. Dovestone Reservoir has a sailing club and an orienteering course. For the more adventurous there are paths and tracks to reach wilder open access moorland with dramatic cliffs and rocks. There is a pay and display car park and toilets at the reservoir run by Oldham Council.

Standedge Visitor Centre, Marsden

Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre

Standedge Tunnel, MarsdenWaters Road, Marsden
At the eastern end of the Standedge Canal Tunnel, about 6 miles north-east of Uppermill, The Standedge Visitor Centre at Tunnel End, Marsden, tells the history of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and the building of Britain's longest and deepest canal tunnel, the three-and-a-quarter mile long Standedge Tunnel on the highest stretch of canal in the country. An exhibition centre shows the work which went into the opening of the tunnel in 1811 and how goods were propelled through the tunnel by leggers laying on the boat roof and walking on the tunnel sides or roof. There is also a children's play area and the opportunity to travel deep into the tunnel on a guided narrow boat or to relax at the Watersedge cafe beside the tunnel. The centre hosts a variety of events throughout the year. Marsden can be reached by bus from Uppermill, by train between Greenfield and Marsden stations, by car or walking a moorland route. The visitor centre is about half-a-mile along the canal towpath from the station. The visitor centre is managed by the Canal & River Trust.

Canal & River Trust - Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre web pages.

Peak District National Park

The wide and vast area of the Peak District National Park starts around half-a-mile to the east of Uppermill. The National Park stretches from Yorkshire into Derbyshire and beyond. For more details see our Peak District page.

Travel

Greenfield station Shaw Hall Bank Road

Greenfield station Greenfield station is a stop for TransPennine Express services operating between York, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Manchester Piccadilly with some peak services to and from Leeds via Huddersfield. No rail services operate to Oldham, which is now removed from the National Rail network due to tram expansion from Manchester. For bus services see below.

Station managed by: NORTHERN. Operator/s: TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS.

NATIONAL RAIL - Departure and station info

External link to National Rail live departure board for services at this station (opens in new tab).

Bus services

Buses run through Greenfield and include services to Huddersfield, Oldham and Manchester as well as to some other villages in the Saddleworth area.

Road travel

The A669 from Oldham passes through the centre of Greenfield and joins the A635 eastward towards Holmfirth . The A635 in the opposite direction heads to the south of the village towards Mossley and Stalybridge. At the north end of the village, the A670 runs south-westward towards Ashton-under-Lyne and northward towards the neighbouring village of Uppermill , leading to the A6052 towards Dobcross, Delph and Denshaw and the A62 towards Huddersfield .

Emergency services

Greater Manchester Police.

Greater Manchester Police website.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service website.

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

North West Ambulance Service website.

Local government

Civil parish council

Saddleworth Parish Council
Saddleworth Parish Council is the civil parish council for Uppermill and the surrounding villages of the former Saddleworth Urban District Council area, which itself closely matched a 'township' area tracing its history back to the Saxon period. Saddleworth covers 29.3 square miles, a large area compared with most civil parishes. The council's main activities include managing Saddleworth Civic Hall. It also manages the Saddleworth Cemetery, considers planning applications, supports local interest groups and special projects such as creating walking trails, installing boundary signs and organising Saddleworth in Bloom and Saddleworth Illumination competitions. The council has 20 members elected each four years. The council meets at the Civic Hall in Uppermill.

Saddleworth Parish Council website.

District authority

Oldham Council

Uppermill and other villages in the Saddleworth area of the former West Riding of Yorkshire were linked with the Lancashire town of Oldham and its surrounding towns and villages in the local government reorganisation of 1974.

Surprisingly around half the area of the modern metropolitan borough of Oldham is of Yorkshire rather than Lancashire origin. Oldham is one of the 10 boroughs of the Greater Manchester metropolitan county formed in 1974, these being typically about one-third the size of the metropolitan boroughs of West and South Yorkshire.

Councillors are elected across 20 wards with three councillors representing each ward, one elected each year except on the fourth year. The 2023 election was for all 60 seats of the council.

Link to Oldham Council website.

Political composition after May 2026 election:

1171610 OG642 RI2 IG11 FI
60 members OG = Oldham Group IG = The Independent Group RI = Royston Independents FI = Failsworth Independent Party

Political composition after May 2024 election:

189122 FI2 OG98
60 members FI = Failsworth Independents OG = Oldham Group

County strategic authority

Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Greater Manchester was first formed as a metropolitan county in 1974 incorporating a little of the West Riding of Yorkshire, that being the Saddleworth Urban District which was placed within the Oldham metropolitan district. Oldham is one of ten large metropolitan district councils of Greater Manchester, the others being Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan. While the original county council was abolished, the councils have continued to work together on county-wide issues and since 2011 that has been through a Combined Authority. The authority is run by the leaders of the 10 councils with the addition, since 2017 of an elected Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Elected mayor: ❚ Andy Burnham Labour & Cooperative

Greater Manchester Combined Authority website.

Police and Crime Commissioner

The Mayor of Greater Manchester
The elected Mayor of Greater Manchester has taken over responsibility of the role previously carried out by the elected Police and Crime Commissioner although a Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire is appointed to work alongside the mayor to conduct that role.

GMCA & Mayor of Greater Manchester website.

Fire Authority

The Mayor of Greater Manchester
Previous run by an authority of councillors from the 10 districts of Greater Manchester, this role is also now the responsibility of the elected Mayor of Greater Manchester, although a Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire is appointed to work alongside the mayor to conduct that role.

GMCA & Mayor of Greater Manchester website.

New parliamentary constituency

Oldham East and Saddleworth
Elected MP: ❚ Debbie Abrahams Labour

National government region

North West England

Historic

1900-1974: In the Saddleworth Urban District in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
1974-present: Within Oldham metropolitan district of the created county of Greater Manchester.

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