Above: Quite a contrast from how it once looked to today’s sorry sight (below). It was used as a Youth Hostel for some years – from the death of Mary Gosselin-Grimshawe in 1930 until it was demolished in 1934. It must have been an ideal spot to explore these glorious surroundings. 

Errwood Hall photo gallery

Click here to view more old photos of Errwood Hall.

Errwood Hall

This once-magnificent country house, enjoying wonderful views over the picturesque Goyt Valley, is now just a sad pile of stones. It survived for less than 100 years. It was built around 1843, and demolished in 1934. Click on any of the posts below for information relating to the hall. I’ve managed to collect quite a few old photos showing the hall in all its former glory. Click here to view them.

Before the Hall

Before the Hall

A detailed map published in 1832 for the sale of land in the Goyt Valley is the oldest I’ve seen. It must have been at this auction that Samuel Grimshaw purchased the land on which he’d build Errwood Hall.

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Hall ruins reopened

Hall ruins reopened

It’s good to see that the fencing around the ruins of Errwood Hall has finally been removed and visitors are again free to wander around this historic site. I just hope we can keep the vandals away.

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Errwood Hall now closed

Errwood Hall now closed

It’s sad to see that the recent spate of vandalism at the ruins of Errwood Hall has meant that they’ve now been fenced off for a couple of months whilst Forestry England make the necessary repairs.

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Protecting the ruins

Protecting the ruins

Forestry England are fencing off the ruins of Errwood Hall to repair the damage caused by a recent spate of vandalism. I’m not sure how long it will take and will update this page when I hear more.

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Errwood Hall 1845

Errwood Hall 1845

An 1845 tithe map shows that Errwood Hall hadn’t yet been built, even though Samuel Grimshawe purchased the land some 13 years earlier. I thought work had started well before then.

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Errwood Hall revealed

Errwood Hall revealed

Six recordings from the new ‘augmented reality’ app on Errwood Hall help tell the story of life in and around this grand country house which once dominated the valley and now lies in ruins.

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Goyt Recollections part II

Goyt Recollections part II

In part two of Crichton Porteous’s ‘Goyt Recollections’, he writes about Errwood Hall, the hill-top graveyard and the coal mine. He also talks to an old estate worker about the Grimshawe sisters.

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The two Alexanders

The two Alexanders

Two Alexanders were responsible for the design of Errwood Hall: Roos the young and talented architect, and the wealthy Beresford-Hope who recommended him to his friend Samuel Grimshawe.

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A most romantic location

A most romantic location

A description of Errwood Hall in a popular coffee-table book says it’s “probably the most romantic location in Derbyshire”. It contains some fascinating details, but quite a few inaccuracies.

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Errwood Hall research

Errwood Hall research

Creating the new augmented reality app has posed some intriguing questions, and also unearthed some wonderful old photos. Putting both together is a challenging but fascinating project.

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