Above: The attractive suspension bridge was built at the same time as the reservoir, to enable locals to walk from one side to the other. Above: Sharon posted this photo of her Great Aunt May posing on the bridge on the Goyt Valley Facebook page. Gail recently sent me...
Above: A typically picturesque view along the River Goyt before the construction of the twin reservoirs – all now under water. My thanks to Gail for sending this article which appeared in the Liverpool Echo of 6th February 1937, just a few months before the...
Above: I wonder whether these gatesposts once marked the boundary between the Grimshawe’s estate and the Chillworth Gunpowder Mill. It seems I’m not the only saddo to be fascinated by old stone gateposts! There are quite a few of us out there, as I...
Above: The twin stone gateposts and a screengrab from the ViewRanger app showing where they stand. It’s quite probably a sad reflection on me, but I find old stone gateposts intriguing. Especially when they stand alone in the landscape, with no connecting fences...
Above: The quarry is quite a magical place, with trees and large boulders covered in thick litchen. Above: The quarry in 1933 (click to enlarge). There are more photos on the Whaley Bridge local history website. A few people on the Goyt Valley Facebook Group have...
Above: Work started on Fernilee Reservoir in 1932 and was completed in 1937. I’d guess this photo showing The Hollows still standing in the midst of the construction site would have been taken around 1934. Above: I’ve circled The Hollows, and shown where I...
Above: The small suspension bridge at the southern end of Fernilee Reservoir was dismantled following the construction of Errwood Reservoir in the mid ’60s. Inset: The brick pillar that recently emerged during the drought of 2018. Another of my theories...
Above: The site was ideally suited to create the twin reservoirs, providing much-needed drinking water to Stockport and its surrounding towns and villages. My thanks to Alex for pointing me towards a series of aerial photos showing the construction of Fernilee...
Thanks to the work of the Forestry Commission in clearing a lot of the fir trees, there are now some great views across the valley from the first section, along the wide woodland track. And the return path, alongside the western shore of the reservoir, is always...
Above: The old pump room has completely vanished! It was quite an eye-sore so I’m not sorry to see it go. And it means the footpath to Taxal has finally reopened. It’s taken almost a year, but the footpath between Fernilee and Taxal, past the old pump...
