The River Dearne
Denby Dale is located in the Upper Dearne valley, with the River Dearne flowing through the length of the village.
The waters of the River Dearne flow ultimately into the Humber, but their source is in Cumberworth, with tributaries contributing from Flockton, Emley and Gunthwaite. It follows a north easterly journey to West Bretton where it turns right towards the Don.
Miller Hill Bridge
Currently a stone bridge almost hides the River Dearne which it spans at the bottom of Miller Hill. Originally there had not been a bridge at this site, and the only crossing was a ford with very steep sides. This is probably where the original name for Danby Dale hailed from, as it used to be known as Denby Dyke. Later a wooden bridge was built in its place, but this was destroyed in 1706 by floods. This caused many problems for the villagers, as this was a busy route and meant long detours into the countryside to cross the river. Money was raised soon after to replace the wooden structure with one of stone.
Miller Hill / Sunny Bank and the Corn Mill
Under the houses of the lower end of Miller Hill are the remains of the Denby Dale corn mill and a blacksmith. The first corn mill was powered by a water wheel, but the village outgrew the mill and another one was built. Later a water turbine was installed inside the building and this supplied electricity to the surrounding buildings – including the Salvation Army building and the Wesleyan Methodist chapel.