A former mining village, it lies on the River Don. Bentley Colliery, which is now Bentley Community Woodland, closed in December 1993. Bentley and the nearby hamlet of Toll Bar were badly affected by floods in June 2007.
The local parish church of St. Peter dates back to 1891. A second church, Church of SS Philip and James in the New Village area was dedicated in 1915
Bentley includes West End, New Village and Rostholme. Streets in Bentley include Cooke Street and High Street.
During the 2019 United Kingdom floods residents of Bentley were asked to leave their homes after the area suffered flooding.[6]