Above: The small suspension bridge at the southern end of Fernilee Reservoir was dismantled following the construction of Errwood Reservoir in the mid ’60s. Inset: The brick pillar that recently emerged during the drought of 2018. Another of my theories...
Above: I’ve never seen the water level this low at Fernilee. As well as sections of stone walling, it’s just possible to make out a brick pillar on the far shoreline (inset). I think this could be one of the supports for the suspension bridge. The...
Above: The site was ideally suited to create the twin reservoirs, providing much-needed drinking water to Stockport and its surrounding towns and villages. My thanks to Alex for pointing me towards a series of aerial photos showing the construction of Fernilee...
Above: the mill lade started from this small stone and concrete sluice that spans the River Goyt a short distance from Derbyshire Bridge. A channel on the right snaked across the hill side, all the way to the mill pond above the giant waterwheel at Goytsclough. I...
Above: The writer mentions these cottages which once stood between the stone quarry and the paint mill. A rectangular shape on the ground is all that remains today. The waterwheel would have been behind the slope to the right. (Click here for more on the cottages.) My...
Above: This is the clearest photo I’ve managed to find of the ruins of the paint mill. The 1890s map shows where it once lay – at Goytsclough, on the narrow road between Derbyshire Bridge and Goyt’s Bridge. I’ve also highlighted where I think...
Above: A close-up of the first card (click to enlarge) shows a pensive looking gentleman standing half-way across the stepping stones, with the picturesque packhorse bridge behind. Improved road and rail links during the late 19th century brought increasing numbers of...
Clifford Rathbone’s ‘Goyt Valley Story’ has been out of print for many years. But the current copyright holders, Willow Publishing, have kindly granted permission to publish the first chapter here. The book contains a series of articles written by...
Above: The newspaper report refers to the Hibbert’s farm as ‘Gonsall’. But it must have been Bunsal Farm (far right). The Hibberts are the only family listed on census records going back to 1871 (click to view). The inset image of a well-dressed...
Above: This postcard view of the Cat & Fiddle would have been painted in the late 19th century. Inset: A line illustration of the same view accompanied Strephon’s report of his 1888 visit. Above: The 7th Duke of Devonshire (1808-1891) seems to have been...
