Above: The app is free to download – simply search your app store for Errwood Hall.
I’ve now managed to get the new Errwood Hall augmented reality app to work on my old iPhone 8 to access the 3D plans, sound recordings and fact files. But it unfortunately still seizes when trying to view one of the most impressive features – to walk in and around a virtual reality reconstruction of the building.
I had a demo at the launch last week (see previous post), and was really looking forward to trying it out. I’m sure it works fine on more recent phones than mine, so I’m hoping the developers – Bloc Digital – will be able to iron out these early glitches.
Above: The app should allow you to view the hall on any surface in your home and explore it from all angles simply by walking around it.
It’s easy to download the app – simply search Google Play or the App Store for Errwood Hall – and is completely free. And unlike many other free apps, it doesn’t store any personal data. Click here for details on how it was funded.
The project is very much the brainchild of Peak District Heritage Officer, Catherine Parker Heath, with the help of a few volunteers, including myself. Some of us even got the chance to add our voices to the app. I’ve included the six audio files below. Mine is the description of Goyt’s Bridge.
A working man’s story
My favourite is the recording ‘One man’s story’, read by retired farmer, Philip Holland, who really brings to life a local man’s recollections of working for the Grimshawes in the early 1900s.
Catherine also explained: “Philip is a dedicated researcher and ‘custodian’ of the Derbyshire dialect. His daughter, Liz, was a colleague of mine and sadly died recently. The Outdoor Group made a donation in memory of Liz to support the project.”
Catherine recorded the 1895 description of the party at Errwood Hall. Robbie Carnegie is Senior Communications Officer with Moors for the Future, and an amateur actor with Buxton Drama League. He narrated the 1883 description of the hall. Chris Wilman read the poem. And Shirley Miller recorded Ann Bailey’s letter about party.
All the recordings are taken from posts previously published on this website. Simply click the links under each one to view the relevant pages.
Page update #1: 21st July 2022
Success! I’ve finally managed to get the virtual reality reconstruction of Errwood Hall to work. And it was well worth the wait.
To view the 3D model simply click the ‘Past’ button on the app and then ‘AR Mode’. Find a reasonable amount of clear floor or table space and click the screen again to confirm the position. And hey presto – the model should appear, enabling you to walk around it and view the hall from all angles.
The initial plan was to be able to go inside the building and through all the various rooms, but this proved too expensive for the available budget. Hopefully this will be possible in the next version of the app.
Page update #2: 25th July 2022
Catherine has published the story of the app from conception to completion on the South West Peak’s website. Click here to read it.
Thanks for your work on this website and for preserving the memories of lost areas of the Valley. I live in Macclesfield; my high school geography class studied the Goyt Valley back in the 90’s. It has been really interesting reading about the area’s history.
This is wonderful. I only found out that this beautiful place had ever existed through reading an article earlier today reference the low water level in Errwood Reservoir. It’s so sad to see all the photographs and imagine the hamlet filled with people, talking and laughing and going about their daily lives. I personally think it’s a dreadful thing that so much history now lies forever lost at the bottom of reservoirs. Yes. They are vital to our infrastructure, but, they took so much in their creation. Errwood Hall was magnificent. The history that alone held is a feast for any imagination! Well done on all your work, all of you, on creating this website and its view into a bygone era. And good luck for future endeavours.
After visiting Errwood Hall on a recent walk I was pleasantly surprised to find this great resource about the history including photographs and 3D tours! Thank you to everyone who worked hard to create this.
I went down on a walk with my friend today around the valley. He’s very knowledgeable about its history and gave me a full guided tour. We went to the remains of Errwood Hall and it’s sad to think how this place must have once been booming with the activity with many people.
Hoping to visit later this month when we stay at Kerridge End. I am keen to see the area after reading Alan Garner’s books such as the Moon of Gomrath and Thursbitch. Am I right that there are two accessible routes for wheelchair/mobility scooter users (my wife is partially disabled), the riverside path and the old railway line?
Paul – in that case you need to book to see “Walking the Weirdstone – Archaeology & the Works of Alan Garner” by James Wright on 28th June.