| Dove Holes | |
|---|---|
 Dove Holes fromCombs Moss | |
  Dove Holes Location withinDerbyshire | |
| OS grid reference | SK074781 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BUXTON |
| Postcode district | SK17 |
| Dialling code | 01298 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Dove Holes is a village in theHigh Peak district ofDerbyshire, England. It has a population of about 1,200 (2001), shown in the2011 Census as being included in the population ofChapel-en-le-Frith. It straddles theA6 road, approximately three miles north ofBuxton and three miles south of Chapel-en-le-Frith.
Evidence of human occupation at Dove Holes can be traced back to theNeolithic period (lateStone Age) because of the existence of ahenge, known locally asThe Bull Ring, and an adjoiningtumulus. In theMiddle Ages, the area was used as the royal huntingForest of High Peak (now known asPeak Forest), an area set aside as aroyal hunting forest. The village's name is believed to derive from the Celtic worddwfr (dŵr inmodern Welsh), which means water, hence Water Holes or Dove Holes. The same word is the origin of the nameDover for the famousChannel ferry port.
In 1650, a General Survey of the Manor of High Peak was made to assess the property of the lateKing Charles. This recorded that people were burning limestone around the village and that there were 14 kilns thereabouts, the burnt lime (quicklime) being slaked and used by farmers to condition the soil in their fields. At that time, lime kilns could be built and demolished without authority.
With the coming of theIndustrial Revolution, and the opening of thePeak Forest Tramway in 1796, the limestone quarries were commercialised. The first of these was at nearby Loads Knowl and others quickly followed along Dove Holes Dale. Undoubtedly, the opening of the tramway and the consequent expansion of commercial limestone quarries contributed greatly to the expansion of the village. For the first time, there was an outlet for limestone in Manchester via the tramway,Bugsworth Basin, thePeak Forest Canal and theAshton Canal.
The village lies on the fringe of thePeak District National Park.
Residents live either in the village or on outlying farms. There are around six farms in the village and many more within the boundaries of the parish. There are also large limestone quarries that, over the years, have made an important contribution to the local economy.
Buxton Mountain Rescue Team has been based in Dove Holes since the 1970s. Their present base in the village was opened in 1990 byDiana, Princess of Wales.[1]
There are twopublic houses, one of which offers accommodation. There is a daily milk delivery service and a mobile library every fortnight. There is a church, Methodist chapel and a community centre.
Dove Holes railway station is a stop on theBuxton line.Northern Trains operates generally hourly services in each direction betweenManchester Piccadilly,Stockport andBuxton.[2]
High Peak Buses operates bus route 199, which provides a regular service betweenBuxton,New Mills,Stockport andManchester Airport.[3] There is a bus garage in the village.
The A6, which connectsCarlisle inCumbria withLuton inBedfordshire, passes through Dove Holes; it connects the village with Stockport to the north-west and thePeak District to the south-east.
In 2001, the village was voted the ugliest village in Britain in aBBC Radio 5 Live poll.[4] However, the railway station was chosen in 2019 to feature in the music video for the chart-topping single "Someone You Loved" by singerLewis Capaldi.[5]
Media related toDove Holes at Wikimedia Commons