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.
Topic tags: Gunpowder Mill...
1846 Goyt Valley plans
Comparing the recently discovered 1846 plans of the valley with OS maps from the 1890s reveal some fascinating changes, but also poses the question of when Grimshaw turned to Grimshawe.
The Heathers
Gunpowder Mill worker, Allen Heather, and his wife Annie, had four sons and five daughters. All of them went to Goyt’s Bridge School. And one paid the ultimate sacrifice during WW1.
Fernilee construction gallery
A new photo gallery records the construction of Fernilee Reservoir through to its opening in 1937 and includes some fascinating detail – from navvies in their pub to small steam engines.
Powder Mill Bridge
A recently discovered photo shows the Powder Mill Bridge which now lies under Fernilee Reservoir. It would have been an important crossing point over the Goyt for local workers and families.
The ‘loveliest drive’
I managed to solve the question of whether the road from Goyt’s Bridge to Fernilee went through the gunpowder mill. But posed another with a photo of the mill entrance that just doesn’t seem right.
To the gunpowder mill
A pair of stone gateposts beside Fernilee Reservoir set me wondering about their history. Old maps reveal that they once stood at the entrance to a path that led down to the old gunpowder mill.
Happy memories
A long-time lover of the valley, Elaine writes to ask about a photograph of the Gunpowder Mill band. She wonders whether the mill was related to the Chilwell Gunpowder Mill in Nottingham.
The mushroom cloud
“Machinery was twisted into all shapes and huge beams splintered. Pieces of iron had been thrown high up on the hills and one piece of machinery weighing well over a ton was flung into the water.”
The ‘blacked-up’ band
The ‘blacked-up’ faces of the Chilworth Gunpowder Mill’s brass band provide a fascinating glimpse into a time and place which are now completely lost. What can it all mean?
Visiting the powder mills (1874)
“In the valley at the foot of towering heights, clad with trees and verdure, there are situated the Fernilee Gunpowder Mills, occupying a very extensive area.”
Fernilee Powder Mill
“We are sorry to state that an explosion took place at the Powder Mills, at Fernilee, in the stoving house, by which two unfortunate creatures were in one moment deprived of their existence.”