The centre of the village has barely changed from the 19th century, when a number of small textile mills provided employment for the local community. There is a significant first century AD Roman fort at Castleshaw.
Culture
The village is home to one of the Saddleworth Whit Fridaybrass band contests, with in the region of seventy-five bands from across the UK and beyond marching down the main street at five-minute intervals on the evening of the contest which often continues into the early hours. In the village of Dobcross, a Henry Livings memorial prize is open to bands who play on any of the morning's walks on Whit Friday.
It is also home to the Millgate Arts Centre, the home of the Saddleworth Players. This group puts on six plays a year, as well as hosting a number of other events throughout the year.
The A62 road runs just south of the village and was previously the main thoroughfare from Manchester and Oldham into Huddersfield and Leeds. The road now sees comparatively lower traffic levels since the opening of the M62 motorway, which passes around 5 miles north of Delph.