Alsop en le Dale
Alsop en le Dale is a village in Derbyshire, England about north of Ashbourne close to the Staffordshire border, and a mile from Dovedale, a popular tourist location.
Comprising a few cottages and scattered farms, the village was mentioned in the Domesday Book under Derbyshire in the lands belonging to the king. The book which was written in 1086 said:
The Church of St. Michael and All Angels is of Norman origin, but was restored in the 19th century. The church serves the hamlets of Alsop Moor, Cold Eaton and Newton Grange.
Alsop Hall opposite the church, was built in the late 16th century for the Alsop family.
The village formerly had a station on the railway line connecting Ashbourne and Buxton. Located to the west and above the village, the station is a now a car-park and access point for the Tissington Trail, a bridleway and walk/cycle path that utilizes this section of the line. Opened in 1971, it is part of the National Cycle Network.
The village is a convenient starting point for walks into Wolfscote Dale, which lies on the River Dove between Dovedale and Hartington village.
The derivation of “Alsop en le Dale” is the product of a two-stage process: “Alsop” originates from “Ælli’s little valley”, whilst en le Dale is from the Old French for “in the” and the Old English dœl.
