A ghostly encounter

A ghostly encounter

Above: Published in 1963, ‘Portrait of Peakland’ was one of many books written by Crichton Porteous on Derbyshire and the Peak District. This extract includes a ghostly apparition seen by two Errwood Hall maids in 1914. I wonder whether either of the two...
The two Alexanders

The two Alexanders

Above: Alexander Roos’s original drawing for Errwood Hall from the early 1840s (courtesy of Buxton Museum). Above: A Vanity Fair caricature of Alexander Beresford Hope. Click here to view his Wikipedia entry. Judging by the previous post (click to view),...
A most romantic location

A most romantic location

Above: The entry for Errwood Hall is headed by this fine photo, probably taken in the 1920s. This description of Errwood Hall is taken from a popular coffee-table book, The Derbyshire Country House, by Maxwell Craven and Michael Stanley. There are a few facts that...
Boothman’s Cottages

Boothman’s Cottages

Above: Boothman’s Cottages would have been a bleak place to live in winter. But well-placed to pick up custom from the many travellers who passed this way. Above: An old photo showing the remains of the engine house (click to enlarge). There’s nothing now...
Vault correction

Vault correction

Above: The only other photo I’d seen of the vault showed only one cross in the background, which I thought was the main one. Which is why I thought the vault was positioned to the left. Another recently discovered photo (below) has shown just how easy it is to...
A tale of two bridges

A tale of two bridges

Above: The photo is captioned ‘Bridge Near Errwood Hall: A view of a bridge surrounded by trees with a view of people walking towards the trees. May/June 1964.’ The orange circle shows where it must have crossed Shooter’s Clough, half way along the...
Errwood Hall research

Errwood Hall research

Above: Forestry England’s 3D model solved the mystery of the extra arch. I’m managing to create quite a collection of old photos and documents for the new augmented reality app on Errwood Hall. They’re all helping to work out the room layout (see...
Errwood Hall layout

Errwood Hall layout

Above: This view of Errwood Hall from the other side of Shooters Clough provides a good idea of the layout. I’d guess it dates to the late 1920s. I’ve circled where we now think the Catholic chapel may have been situated, rather than the top storey turret....
Exiting Burbage Tunnel

Exiting Burbage Tunnel

Above: The illustration was originally commissioned for the cover of a book on the Cromford & High Peak Railway. Above: Click to view the complete ‘colourised’ image. The internet can be blamed for a host of social ills, but it does have its uses. I...
Goyt Valley Youth Hostel

Goyt Valley Youth Hostel

Above: A wonderful photo captioned “Morning toilet at the Goyt Valley hostel”. Click below to expand the full image. Photo YHA Archive. I’d always understood that Errwood Hall was used as a Youth Hostel for a couple of years between Mary...