Audenshaw

Audenshaw is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. It lies east of Gorton, in the City of Manchester, and 4.9 miles (7.9 km) east of Manchester city centre. Historically part of Lancashire, in 2011 it had a population of 11,419.

The name derives from Aldwin, a Saxon personal name, and the Old English suffix shagh meaning "Woodland". Nico Ditch, an early-medieval linear earthwork possibly built as a defensive barrier against Vikings, runs through the area. Medieval Audenshaw was a division of the township of Ashton in the county of Lancashire. Audenshaw expanded as a centre for textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian era with inhabitants employed in hat-making, cotton-spinning, calico-printing, and silk-weaving. In 1974, Audenshaw Urban District became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside.