Tameside

Ashton-under-Lyne: Portland Basin Museum

Tameside, metropolitan borough in the eastern part of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, northwestern England. The parts of Tameside west of the River Tame, such as Ashton-under-Lyne (the metropolitan borough’s administrative centre), Audenshaw, and Denton, are in the historic county of Lancashire, while those to the east, including Stalybridge, Dukinfield, and Hyde, belong to the historic county of Cheshire. The borough includes a section of the Pennines uplands, and immediately to its east is Peak District National Park. Its name is derived from the River Tame, which flows through the borough to join the River Mersey.

Coal mining, hatting, and cotton textiles were the traditional industries of Tameside. In Denton hatting grew from a cottage industry in the 17th century into a major economic activity employing nearly half the town’s population by the 1920s. Tameside’s domestic textile industry gave way to factory production in the 18th century with the construction of water-powered mills along the River Tame. After 1830 steam power, fueled by local coal, replaced water power, and textile factories were built in the town centres. By the mid-19th century cotton spinning was the staple industry of Tameside. Metalworking and engineering were also important. The traditional industries contracted during the 20th century. Denton’s hatting industry declined rapidly after the 1920s, and the last coal mine closed in 1959.

Today the diversified industries of Tameside include food processing, plastics, and high-technology engineering. Area 40 square miles (103 square km). Pop. (2001) 213,043; (2011) 219,324.