Above: I find it fascinating to compare the Victorian maps with today’s satellite images.

On the left is the hamlet of Goyt’s Bridge from the 1888 OS map. And on the right is a satellite photo showing the scene today – the southern tip of Errwood Reservoir.

The most noticeable feature of the landscape to survive is the curved wall on the far right.

This is easy to spot from Errwood Hall car park – on the opposite side of the reservoir.

I recently came across a wonderful website which enables visitors to compare side-by-side views of old maps with today’s satellite images. It shows how remarkably accurate Victorian map-makers were.

Click this link to view side-by-side views of the Goyt Valley on the website. To move around the map, simply click on either image and drag. It’s also possible to enlarge and reduce the area shown.

I’ve previously used the site to pinpoint the position of some of the farmhouses that were demolished in the 1930s, after Stockport Corporation compulsory purchased the Errwood Estate to construct the twin reservoirs.

I’ve just used images from the site to create the ‘then & now’ example below. It shows where a photographer was standing to take an image featured on this page.

  • Click here to view a series of ‘then & now’ fades of the Goyt Valley all the way from Goyt’s Moss in the south to Taxal in the north.