Samuel’s pseudo bishop
Samuel Grimshaw converted a top-floor room at Errwood Hall into a Catholic chapel, earning the condemnation of an irate letter-writer who complained it was unsuitable behaviour for a magistrate.
The long white road
The last poem written by Roland Leighton was delivered to his fiancé, Vera Brittain, along with his blood-stained uniform. It may have celebrated a walk the two lovers made along Old Goyt’s Lane.
Long Hill mystery
Don asks about the foundations which lie just over the fence, coming down from the Long Hill road towards the Goyt Valley. I wonder whether it may once have been a toll house. But who knows?
Happy memories
A long-time lover of the valley, Elaine writes to ask about a photograph of the Gunpowder Mill band. She wonders whether the mill was related to the Chilwell Gunpowder Mill in Nottingham.
Wrong again!
Another of my theories bites the dust! I was sure the brick pillar that surfaced during this summer must have been one of the supports for the suspension bridge. But it appears not.
Hidden features revealed
The record-breaking temperatures during the summer of 2018 saw the water levels drop significantly in both reservoirs. These photos show some of the features that will soon vanish once again.
Fernilee from the air (1934)
A 1934 aerial view of the Fernilee Reservoir construction site reveals some fascinating detail, including the ruins of the Gunpowder Mill, as well as the line of the old Cromford & High Peak Railway.
Tracing the mill lade
Walking the lade from Goytsclough to the Goyt was the only way I was going to work out how water seemed to defy gravity to feed the giant waterwheel. It seems appearances can be very deceptive!
Goytsclough waterwheel (1857)
A newspaper article from 1857 includes some wonderful detail about the paint mill at Goytsclough. But also disproves most of my assumptions about the giant waterwheel which once stood here!
Goytsclough waterwheel
Was there once a giant waterwheel at Goytsclough that was reputed to be the second largest in the world? It seems more than a little unlikely, but I’m trying to discover the facts.
Three new views
Three recently-discovered postcards dating back over a century show the wonderfully picturesque hamlet of Goyt’s Bridge before it vanished below the waters of Errwood Reservoir.
Goyt Valley Story #1
The first chapter of Clifford Rathbone’s ‘Goyt Valley Story’ describes a walk he made in the summer of 1955 from the Cat & Fiddle to Goyt’s Bridge, before the flooding of Errwood Reservoir.
Littering the valley
Andrew writes: “I’ve been visiting the Valley for many years and having just returned I was utterly appalled. I’ve collected around 60 plastic bottles, 40 glass bottles and various other trash from the car park.”
Hearts of oak
“One by one the farmers and their families have strapped their ancient bedsteads on to hay wagons, and tracked off up the lane leading out from Derbyshire’s deceased village of Fernilee…”
Visiting the Cat & Fiddle (1888)
“A carriage from Buxton passes us just before we reach the Cat and Fiddle. Its inmates, although covered with shawls and rugs, are shivering with cold. (The date is the 4th of May, 1888.)”
John & Hannah Butler
Captain John Butler has always fascinated me. He was the Master of the Grimshawe’s ocean-going yacht, The Mariquita, and is buried in the hill-top cemetery above the ruins of Errwood Hall.
Fernilee west walk video
Hot on the heels of the video for walk 17 comes the one for walk 18; a very easy 2.5 mile circular walk around the west of Fernilee Reservoir. There are some wonderful views from the upper section.
Foxlow Edge walk video
I’ve just added the video for walk 17: a short, 1.5 mile circular stroll along Foxlow Edge, returning along the narrow footpath which runs between the ruins of Errwood Hall and St. Joseph’s Shrine.
Castedge spring; then & now
A new ‘then and now’ fade features one of my favourite photos of the Goyt Valley; Kathleen Nall collecting water at the natural spring outside her family home, Castedge Farm Cottage.
New valley panorama
A newly-dicovered photo across the Goyt Valley dating back to the 1920s reveals some fascinating detail – Errwood Hall in the far distance and a possible ice cream kiosk beside Errwood Bridge.
