The station opened on 4 August 1899 when the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) opened the Parsley Hay to Ashbourne section of the Ashbourne Line, a branch from the Cromford and High Peak Railway (which ran from Whaley Bridge to Cromford) at Parsley Hay.
From Parsley Hay to Ashbourne the line was single with passing loops at the stations, though provision was made for doubling which never occurred.
[3][page needed] The station took its name from a nearby hill, Thorpe Cloud which is at the entrance to Dovedale, and was therefore a popular venue for ramblers.
The station was host to a LMS caravan from 1934 to 1939, a camping coach was also positioned here by the London Midland Region from 1954 to 1955.
The track bed from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay was acquired by Derbyshire County Council and the Peak National Park in 1968 for a cycle and walking route.