Goyt Valley Youth Hostel

Goyt Valley Youth Hostel

Above: A wonderful photo captioned “Morning toilet at the Goyt Valley hostel”. Click below to expand the full image. Photo YHA Archive. I’d always understood that Errwood Hall was used as a Youth Hostel for a couple of years between Mary...
Errwood Hall arch

Errwood Hall arch

Above: The arch is clearly visible on the right of this photo. Above: The full photo (click to enlarge). It’s a pity it’s such a poor-quality photocopy. I’d love to be able to track down the original. I recently came across a photo of Errwood Hall...
The line that never was

The line that never was

Above: A 1941 newspaper article explains how Samuel Grimshawe blocked plans to build a passenger rail link through the Goyt Valley. Many thanks to Raph for forwarding a newspaper clipping he discovered from 1941 titled ‘The line that never was’. It seems...
Mystery view solved

Mystery view solved

Above: Chris’s eagle eyes had spotted the arch of a bridge at top right. This postcard view dating back to the early 1900s popped up on ebay the others day, captioned ‘Goyt Valley’. But I struggled to make out where it was taken. I thought it might...
Cat & Fiddle: a brief history

Cat & Fiddle: a brief history

Dr Michala Hulme is an award-winning historian and professional genealogist based at the University of Birmingham. Many thanks to historian and genealogist Michala Hulme for allowing me to reproduce her recent post on the history of the famous Cat & Fiddle Inn,...
Errwood Hall cellars

Errwood Hall cellars

Above: Taken in 1988, this photo shows Trevor’s son peering into a hole in the central courtyard at Errwood Hall. I wonder whether it might be the entrance to the cellars. This is the same scene today (click to enlarge). I’ve often heard people talk about the...
Three new old photos

Three new old photos

Above: These three photos recently popped up on ebay, captioned ‘Goyt Valley 1950s’. Ebay is a great source for old postcards of the Goyt Valley. They pop up fairly regularly. But I’ve seen most of them before. These three were different as...
Joseph Oyarzabel?

Joseph Oyarzabel?

Above: Janette thinks Joseph may be the baby sat on his mother’s lap, alongside his father Ignatius, and his elder brother and sister. The recently discovered photo on the left shows him in his Sunday best. I’d guess the book is the bible. You can see the...
Bringing the ruins to life

Bringing the ruins to life

Above: The app will bring the ruins of Errwood Hall to life. You have to wonder what Samuel Grimshawe would have made of the recently announced plan to create an augmented reality app for his country house, Errwood Hall! Built in the early 1840s, the hall was...
Rare photo discovered

Rare photo discovered

Above: After attending the Grimshawe’s one-room school, Mary Heather went on to work as a servant at Errwood Hall. She told her daughter that the photo was taken inside the hall – perhaps before one of the Grimshawe’s many house parties. It may seem...