Above: This was the most popular view of Goyt’s Bridge and appeared on many postcards from the late 19th century up to the mid 1930s when the buildings were demolished.
Many thanks to Trevor on the Goyt Valley Facebook Group for posting a link to a print he recently purchased of Goyt’s Bridge. It’s part of Buxton Museum’s collection and shows the most popular view of the now-drowned hamlet – over the stepping stones towards the packhorse bridge with Goytshead Farm at top right.
Above: This is the full, uncropped image (click to enlarge). © Derbyshire County Council: Buxton Museum and Art Gallery.
The painting is available to purchase in various options – from a plain A4 print at £15, right up to a large framed print at £200 (click to view). The artist is shown as GM Brown but unfortunately there’s no information about him or her, other than the painting is late 19th century and oil on canvas.
I Googled the name and the only link I could find was to a painting on ebay titled “A Woodland Nymph by G.M. Brown: Sexy Women Tree Swing Flowers”! I’m no expert, but it does look a similar style and date, so perhaps this was also by the same artist.
The stepping stones don’t appear that accurately rendered, so perhaps GM Brown never visited Goyt’s Bridge and simply painted from any number of postcards views that were popular at the time. But whatever the truth, it is a very fine rendition of a once gloriously picturesque spot.
