Goyt Valley miscellaneous
These posts don’t fit easily within the existing sections of the website – which is why I’ve called them miscellaneous. They’re a bit of a pick and mix collection – but interesting just the same. Simply click on the ‘Read more’ links to view any story. All contributions would be very gratefully received. To get in touch, simply use the site contact page.
Above: A rare photo of Mary and Genevieve Grimshawe pictured at the opening of Fernilee Village Hall.
Fatal accident on the C&HPR
A collision between two trains on the Cromford & High Peak Railway left one man dead and the other seriously injured. It also spelled the end of passengers being taken along the route.
The Cat & Fiddle Inn
The Cat & Fiddle Inn lay on the edge of Samuel Grimshawe’s Errwood Estate, close to the source of the River Goyt. I’ve just published a fascinating collection of old postcards showing the pub.
Clearing the rhododendrons
The Forestry Commission is clearing a lot of the rhododendrons from the valley. They say they’re both invasive and diseased. I just hope they don’t clear too many as I love to see them in full bloom.
Edward ‘Strephon’ Bradbury
Strephon’s articles describing his travels in the Goyt Valley in the early 1880s are very popular. It’s a very Victorian style, but well worth the effort. Mike has managed to discover some facts about the author.
Mystery stones
Dennis wonders whether anyone might know why five stones, some of which are crudely carved with numbers, lie on the side of Shooters Clough. Could they be the graves of favourite gun dogs?
Goyt’s Bridge in 1853
Recently discovered in the Devonshire Collection at Chatsworth House; the earliest detailed map of Goyt’s Bridge, dated 1853. Drawn some 10 years after the completion of Errwood Hall.
Errwood Hall bridge
An 1880 report of a trip to Errwood Hall mentions a ‘lovers’ walk high above the carriageway’. But where was this scenic walk? And was there a bridge that has now been lost?
The ‘Final exodus’
The last families to leave the Goyt Valley packed all their belongings on to lorries and horse-drawn carts in March 1936. I’m trying to trace their names, and the homes they once lived in.
Tracing Mr T.B. Hibbert
Trying to resolve the riddle of the Goyt’s Bridge tea room sign; we find Tommy Hibbert in the census returns – but it doesn’t help cast much light upon the mystery!
Killing at Errwood Hall
An 1847 newspaper clipping reports a ‘desperate burglary, in which one of the burglars was killed’ at Errwood Hall. The gamekeeper was said to have fired the fatal shot. But did he?
Is this Old Goyt’s Lane?
A recently discovered photo from the 1930s seems to show Old Goyt’s Lane, and prove that cars were capable of tackling what seems a steep and difficult road. Or did it?
Closure of Errwood grounds
Mary, the last of the Grimshawes, took such offence at the desecration of St Joseph’s Shrine that she closed public access to the entire grounds of the Errwood Estate.
Ancient maps
Now lying under Errwood Reservoir, Goyt’s Bridge was once an idyllic spot, attracting visitors from far and wide. But what of its history before the tourists arrived? Old maps can offer a few clues…
Packhorse routes
Teams of up to 40 sturdy packhorses came through Goyt’s Bridge, carrying everything from salt and coal to stone and cloth. But even small rivers could prove a serious hazard…
The John Turner Stone
A mile or two southwest of Jenkin Chapel stands an intriguing stone memorial to John Turner. But who was the mysterious lady who left a single footprint beside his frozen body?
History of the twin reservoirs
The construction of the twin reservoirs of Fernillee and Errwood changed the face of the Goyt Valley landscape. But in many ways the farmers’ loss was our gain. Local historian Norman Brierley tells the story…
Jenkin Chapel
Looking isolated and forgotten, Jenkin Chapel has always intrigued me. It lies between Pym Chair and the village of Rainbow, and at the meeting point of three ancient trackways.