Forestry England has recently been clearing undergrowth from the old drive leading from Goyt’s Bridge to Errwood Hall, and it’s revealed some intriguing features alongside Shooters’ Clough.
Topic tags: Errwood Hall...
Good or bad guys?
The Braddock family had worked for the Grimshawes since the building of Errwood Hall. So it was a surprise to learn that they were a tight-knit band of notorious highwaymen.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Walk 28: two reservoirs circuit
Walk 28 circuits both Fernilee and Errwood Reservoirs. It’s a perfect way to enjoy the many glories of the Goyt Valley, including the historic packhorse bridge and the enigmatic ruins of Errwood Hall.
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.
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.
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.
A ghostly encounter
A brief extract from a 1963 book includes a report of a ghostly encounter at Errwood Hall: “It beckoned with its long arms to me, and, pointing up the path, it ran with its hollow eyes holding me spell-bound”.
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.
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.
Vault correction
Another long-held theory of mine goes up in flames, thanks to the discovery of yet another old photo from the archives; the Grimshawe’s hill-top vault wasn’t where I’d always thought it was.
A tale of two bridges
Two bridges – both close to Errwood Hall. One that I’d never seen before, and another which I wasn’t sure ever existed. All it needed to solve the mystery was a pair of wellington boots.
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.
Errwood Hall layout
The augmented reality app which will bring the ruins of Errwood Hall to life is still at the planning stage. The first step is to identify the layout of the rooms. Any help would be much appreciated.
Errwood Hall arch
A recently discovered photo of Errwood Hall shows the grand arch which once formed the gateway to the Grimshawe family’s hill-top cemetery. The arch has long since gone, but the steps remain.
The line that never was
A 1941 press clipping explains that Samuel Grimshawe once blocked plans to create a railway through the Goyt Valley. But since it would have passed through Errwood Hall, it’s perhaps not surprising!
Errwood Hall cellars
A recently discovered photo taken in 1988 shows a young boy peering into a hole in the centre of the Errwood Hall ruins. I wonder whether it might be the entrance to the cellars.
Bringing the ruins to life
A virtual reality app designed to bring the ruins of Errwood Hall back to life is an exciting project. But you have to wonder what Samuel Grimshawe would have made of it.
Rare photo discovered
A fairly dull and faded photo of a well-dressed dining table is only the second image that’s come to light taken inside Errwood Hall. So it has a lot of historical interest and value.
Lost shelter or shrine?
Could some large niches carved into a small area of exposed rock opposite Errwood Hall be evidence of a shelter – or perhaps even a shrine used by the staunchly catholic Grimshawes?
Protect the rhododendrons
The recent news that the Forestry Commission will be removing what remains of the rhododendrons around the ruins of Errwood Hall is a great shame. But I’m not sure what we can do about it.
Errwood Hall drive
A rare discovery: a postcard from the early 1900s shows the drive from Goyt’s Bridge up to the Grimshawe family’s grand country house, Errwood Hall. It’s a very different scene today!
Young lady drivers
A photo of two young ladies dressed in mourning posing on an early motor car outside Errwood Hall has always intrigued me. A ‘Then & Now’ fade shows the scene today.
Whispers of the gods
A 1937 newspaper article published just before the opening of Fernilee Reservoir tells of a glorious landscape that has been lost forever – wrecked in the interests of the community.
Grimshawe vault sealed
Mr Oyarzibel took the opportunity of denying the stories that the bodies of the Grimshaws in the vault are embalmed in glass-topped coffins, and that the corpses still wear gold watch chains…
Buried treasure!
A wonderful tale of a loveable Whaley Bridge rogue who won a bet with the Disley police. And also hunted for the Grimshawe’s treasure which was said to be buried close to Errwood Hall.
Samuel’s pseudo bishop
Samuel Grimshaw converted a top-floor room at Errwood Hall into a Catholic chapel, earning the condemnation of an irate letter-writer who complained it was unsuitable behaviour for a magistrate.