It is a reflection of current society that today Denton no longer has a single shop and hardly any business premises although a deceptively large number of people now operate a variety of enterprises from their own homes.

 

We are lucky to have the school, doctors’ surgery and a dentist plus an important community facility in the form of the village hall but by far the majority of villagers work and shop outside the parish. Even the future of the Red Lion – the one remaining pub - is far from certain.

 

Earlier generations of Dentonians lived in a very different world. Before the advent of the motor car and any public bus service travel to even the next village was by foot or horseback – both time consuming.

 

Most folk therefore lived and worked in or around the village and trips elsewhere were few and far between. It naturally followed that the community needed to be self-sufficient in almost all respects and accordingly there was a wide range of services provided within the parish.

 

Whellans Directory of 1874, for example, lists Denton as having 2 bakers, 2 publicans, 3 shopkeepers, carrier, carpenter, bricklayer, stone mason, as well as a soda water manufacturer and victualler plus half a dozen farmers and graziers.

 

Even a century later in the 1970s Denton still had the Red Lion  pub, Denton’s own Co-op store (an independent co-

op) nearly next door, a general shop in Church Way run by the Messenger family and a butcher's shop run by Bob Onley, and later Paul Scarlett, under the name of F. W. Onley & Son. A post office was also operating from Edwin and Iris Cawley’s house in Church Way until 1990. 'Messengers' was a great shop selling everthing, including lots of penny pocket

money sweets. Above are pictured Shirley King and Chris Messenger outside Messengers and above right is Mrs Margaret Smith ,Manageress of the Co-op in 1984.

Of these only the pub now remains in business; the Co-op building having been demolished and now forming part of Holly Cottage garden and the other 2 shops now both private houses.

 

However there have been new facilities introduced to the village. The school ( See Schools) flourishes and, following the closure of the village school at Brafield in the 1996, now accommodates 118 children from not only Denton but also Brafield and some from other villages around as well.

 

Denton benefits greatly from having a doctor’s surgery including a dispensing pharmacy operating from purpose built premises opened in 1986 on land behind the village hall. This provides an essential service for not only many of the 779 Denton residents but another 5000 or so from many surrounding villages. Denton village surgery is also a major employer with not only the 4 partner doctors but another 15 or so additional staff by way of nurses, dispensers, administrative staff etc. There is also a patients' support group, established in the last decade, which has the dual role of fundraising and providing a voice for interacting with the practice.

 

There is also a dentist with a surgery towards the top of Vicarage Lane which opened in 2007 and the old school building, after its sale in 1982, has been used as a business premises. It is currently (2010) by occupied by Elevations, a company involved in the design and production of exhibition display stands.

Although the shops have gone villagers can take advantage of courtesy buses to local supermarkets. The mobile library visits the village periodically - a useful service particularly for those readers who are unable to visit one of the main libraries in person.

One noticeable development is that delivery vehicles abound in the village today bringing orders from supermarkets and other items bought on the internet - so although Denton may have lost its shops its residents are not slow in keeping pace with modern developments to change their shopping habits. 

Furthermore there are probably even more people running a variety of trades and businesses from their own homes than there were one or two generations ago and it is surprising how many services can be found from within the village.