The residents of a beautiful little UK village are still furious that it is no longer in Yorkshire.

Saddleworth, west of the Pennine watershed, was in West Yorkshire until the 1972 Local Government Act, which redrew administrative boundaries.

It became part of the new Greater Manchester administrative county, much to the dismay of its residents.

But it never left the historic county of Yorkshire, which has existed since the early Middle Ages and was not abolished under the 1972 Act.

This can leave locals feeling pulled in opposite directions, being controlled by the Manchester authority while having cultural ties to Yorkshire.

In Delph, a village in the heart of Saddleworth, people haven’t forgotten their Yorkshire links with more White Rose flags and plaques on display than any other village in the region.

At Furlong, an alterations shop in a listed weavers’ cottage, the answer to where Delph belongs is unequivocal. “Yorkshire,” says owner Adele Furlong and her seamstresses Karen Whittaker and Kathryn Wheeler in unison.

Kathryn, who has lived in Delph for 25 years, said: “When people come here, they come to die here. But that’s because they don’t want to move.” Adele added: “I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”

The Yorkshire stone cottages and shops on Delph’s high street have far more in common with the neighbouring Colne and Holme valleys than the urban sprawl of Greater Manchester.

Grace Harrington, who runs the family chip shop a few doors down, is less sure. She grew up above the shop – also in a listed weavers’ cottage – where her dad still lives.

“It depends what you’re doing,” said Grace, 43.

“I run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. The old-school people prefer it being in Yorkshire but I’ve always gone more towards Manchester than Yorkshire.”

The village is itself a conservation area. But it’s Delph’s water features that really set it apart.

The River Tame babbles through the village. Small man-made streams flow from the river, feeding shallow ponds before cascading back into the main channel.

“It’s beautiful,” says Adele, originally from Oldham. “The best thing I did was move here three years ago.”

Many aspire to move to Saddleworth as, despite its proximity to Manchester, it’s virtually unspoilt.

Uppermill, two miles south, has more of a commuter vibe but Delph still feels like a village.

There’s a theatre, a library, three pubs, a couple of wine bars and Saddleworth Crafts Cooperative, a craft and community centre established in 1979.

Artist and picture frame maker Richard Clare, who has a studio at the centre, said: “It’s very community-spirited. There’s a nice core community.”

Richard, who lived in Delph for 15 years but now lives near Huddersfield, adds: “Uppermill has changed a lot, especially in the night-time economy. Delph isn’t like that – it’s quiet which I like.”