Above: There’s some 120 years between the two photos but it’s the same spot on the River Goyt. I’ve circled a niche on one of the twin boulders that clearly matches. An attractive postcard view showing the River Goyt flowing over two large boulders...
Above: Old postcards of the valley regularly appear on ebay. There’s an amazing number of old postcards showing views of the Goyt Valley. In the days before smart phones and social media, they were a perfect way of keeping in touch with friends and family....
Above: Spot the difference! Above: Zooming into the older photo reveals someone seated outside Goytshead Farm (click to enlarge). And it’s just possible to make out the word ‘Teas’ on the sign behind him. Both Goyts Bridge farmhouses sold teas to the...
Above: ‘Lest we forget!!’. Perhaps it’s written by a soldier to his sweetheart, remembering a trip along the valley they shared when he was on leave from the trenches. I sometimes buy old postcards of the Valley if they’re not already on the...
Above: The photo was taken from the slopes surrounding Goytsclough Quarry, looking south along the road to Derbyshire Bridge.The River Goyt runs along the valley to the left. A mill lade flowing from the river along the hillside supplied water to the giant waterwheel....
Above: The circled area of the postcard includes the ruins of the paint mill, as well as Goytsclough Farm high on the hillside, and the paint mill cottages. Zooming into the ruins of the mill seems to show an area of stone walling which I think may have housed...
Above: A close-up of the first card (click to enlarge) shows a pensive looking gentleman standing half-way across the stepping stones, with the picturesque packhorse bridge behind. Improved road and rail links during the late 19th century brought increasing numbers of...
Above: A wonderful view of the now-drowned hamlet of Goyt’s Bridge, taken from close to the Bunsal Incline. Errwood Cottage is in the centre, with Errwood Hall just visible in the distance. I’ve managed to obtain a photo I’d never seen before,...
Below: The old and new views match up exactly. Click either photo to enlarge. In October last year Michael kindly allowed me to scan his wonderful collection of old Goyt Valley postcards. One in particular caught my eye. It wasn’t the most picturesque...
Above: This illustration, which appears on the cover of Gerald Hancock’s wonderful booklet on the valley, would have been painted around 1900. My thanks to Michael Baines for allowing me to scan some of his wonderful postcards of the Goyt Valley. They include an...
