That the main route north from Manchester runs through the village explains the many coaching houses, of which only two public houses survive - "the Rostron Arms" and "the Coach". During the second half of the 19th century Edenfield had its own brewery, the products of which were not entirely popular: due to their purgative effect the ale was known as "Sh-t-n Br-ches". An article published in 1983 described a ghostly headless horseman who allegedly haunts the main road but this "legend" is not widely known elsewhere.