The drowned hamlet of Goyt’s Bridge

Before the Grimshawes arrived in this upper part of the valley, Goyt’s Bridge was little more than a handful of farm buildings sitting beside an ancient packhorse bridge. With the building of Errwood Hall, a new order had arrived. But it would only last for a single century – from the 1830s to the 1930s.

In 1930, following the death of Mary, the last of the Grimshawe family, Stockport District Council purchased the entire estate. They had identified the valley as the perfect site for two reservoirs which would provide water to Stockport and surrounding towns.

Although Errwood Reservoir wouldn’t be completed for another 30 years, Errwood Hall and some 20 farms and cottages were demolished by 1935. It’s said that the planners feared their drains could pollute the reservoirs.

I’ve plotted the main points of interest within Goyt’s Bridge on the map. And included as much information as I know (which in some cases isn’t a lot) on other pages. Click any live link to view the pages.

Unique cine film

Click here to view a grainy, black and white silent cine film taken at Goyt’s Bridge in 1932. And click here to view a video bringing to life the history of both Goyt’s Bridge and Errwood Hall.

Above: This is the best photograph I’ve seen of Goyt’s Bridge. It shows Errwood Cottage (also known as Gatehouse Cottage) in the right foreground, beside the main entrance drive up to Errwood Hall, which can just be seen in the far distance.

The building at far left is Goytsbridge Farm, with Goytshead Farm opposite. The packhorse bridge is hidden in the dip beside the farmhouses.

Shooters’ Clough (the stream which today runs alongside the path up to the hall ruins) flows into the River Goyt through the twin-arched bridge beside the road in the centre foreground. The Goyt is just out of sight, running past this bridge, from left to right, along the valley floor.

Left: I’ve cropped an old OS map to show the same area as the above photo. The blue shows the area now lying beneath Errwood Reservoir. The green arrow shows the camera position. And I’ve also marked the position of today’s Errwood Hall carpark.  (Click the image to enlarge it further.)

Any further information and photos would be much appreciated (all would be acknowledged, and nothing used without prior permission). Please click here to get in touch.