What does the word 'ope' mean, as used in street names in Plymouth?

I'm assuming you come from Plymouth in Devon. My home is Dorset and we have a place near Weymouth called Church Ope Cove. Just run this word through the search engines and have come up with the meaning as - Open. It would be an Old English word as some sources come from poets like Spenser, etc. Nothing more exciting than that, I'm afraid!

Another possibility is "Opening", as in a gap or passageway between two buildings.