Edale
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Edale is a small Derbyshire village and Civil parish in the Peak District, in the Midlands of England. It is best known as the start (or southern end) of the Pennine Way. The Parish of Edale, area 2,844.8ha,[2] is in the Borough of High Peak.
As spelt, the name is first recorded in 1732. Earlier recorded versions of the name are Aidele (1086), Heydale (1251), Eydale (1275), Eydal (1285) and Edall (1550).[3]
Historically, Edale was the name of the valley of the River Noe. Settlement in the valley consists of several booths, originally established in the 13th century as 'vaccaries' (cattle farms) along the valley of the River Noe, which have since developed into the hamlets of Upper Booth (once Crowdenley Booth and Over Booth), Barber Booth (once Whitmorely Booth), Grindsbrook Booth, Ollerbrook Booth and Nether Booth (also known as Lady Booth and, formerly, Lower Booth).[4]
When the Sheffield to Manchester (Hope Valley) line opened, the railway station to the south of Grindsbrook Booth was named "Edale", and the name came to be used for the settlements in the parish, rather than the valley as a whole. The valley is usually now referred to as the "Vale of Edale" or, much less frequently, as the "Noe Valley".[citation needed]
Edale is the site of an historic cotton mill built in 1795 on the site of a corn mill and tannery by Nicholas Cresswell in partnership with James Harrison, Robert Blackwell and Joseph Fletcher. Workers were brought in from the towns and accommodated in cottages and in a nearby house called Skinners Hall. Many of the women workers walked each day from Castleton over the thousand-foot Hollins Cross pass. The mill continued spinning cotton until around 1940 but then fell into disuse. It was restored in the early 1970s by the Landmark Trust who sold off six of the apartments to fund the restoration. The Landmark Trust retain one apartment as holiday accommodation. There is a youth hostel about a mile from the village centre, several B&Bs, and both pubs also provide accommodation. The pubs also provide food, and there are two cafés. In 2006 a new information and visitor centre was opened at Fieldhead. It was developed by the Moors for the Future Partnership and is owned and operated by the Peak District National Park Authority.
As well as being the start of the Pennine Way (the official start is the Old Nag's Head, a former smithy dating back to 1577), the village is surrounded by walking country which is excellent in its own right. The village is surrounded by hills: the plateau of Kinder Scout to the north, where the highest point in the parish is found, the Great Ridge (running west to east between Rushup Edge over Mam Tor to Lose Hill) to the south and east, Win Hill to the east (outside the parish), and Dalehead (Brown Knoll, Horsehill Tor and Colborne) to the west. Almost the entire parish is over 200m above sea level; only along the River Noe east from Carr House does the elevation drop below this level.
The train service is reasonably frequent for such a rural area, and there is a limited bus service. Car parking in the village centre is almost impossible, but there is a large pay and display car park near the village hall and parking for rail users at the railway station. Additional parking near the station is provided at busy times by the Parish Council.
| Neighbouring Parishes[2] |
|---|
| Hope Woodlands • Hope • Castleton • Peak Forest • Chapel-en-le-Frith • Chinley, Buxworth and Brownside • Hayfield |
[edit] References
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics, Parish Headcounts: Edale CP. Source: National Statistics website: www.statistics.gov.uk Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO. Retrieved on Jan 31, 2007.
- ^ a b MAGIC - Multi Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside. Defra. Retrieved on Jan 31, 2007.
- ^ The Edale Society (2003). The Book of Edale. Halsgrove, p 9. ISBN 1-84114-245-X.
- ^ The Edale Society (2003). The Book of Edale. Halsgrove, pp 27-33. ISBN 1-84114-245-X.
