Explore with Amie

In 2023, when I was living at home in South Yorkshire, Alex and I tried to get out into the Peak District and the surrounding areas as often as we could. That wasn’t as often as I would have liked as we were both quite busy however, we did manage to see some great sights during that time and go on some great walks. In April of that year, we headed out to the Ruins of Errwood Hall as Alex had found them whilst searching Google Maps.

Getting There

Errwood Hall is located in the Goyt Valley of the Peak District National Park. There is parking located near the ruins alongside Errwood Reservoir, simply named Errwood Hall Car Park. The nearest town is Buxton which is just under 20 minutes away by car, unfortunately there does not seem to be any public transport options to the site. However, it is possible to walk from Buxton to the reservoir which is approximately 10km (6 miles) in length.

From the nearest cities, Errwood Hall is 1 hour and 20 minutes from Sheffield and 1 hour and 9 minutes from Manchester. It is a very accessible area from these cities if you have a car. You also have the option of getting a train to Buxton which takes just over 1 hour from Manchester Piccadilly and 1 hour and 40 minutes from Sheffield with a change at Hazel Grove. From there, you could walk to Errwood Hall.

The History

Errwood Hall was once a magnificent and beautiful estate house with views over the Goyt Valley. It was built in the 1830s by a man called Samuel Grimshawe who was a wealthy business man from nearby Manchester. His family continued to live in the house for over 100 years.

The estate consisted of several farms, a school, a pub, a coal mine and the hamlet of Goyt’s Bridge within its over 2,000 acres.

However, Samuel’s grandchildren were the last of the family to live in the hall as in 1934 it was demolished in the construction of Fernilee Reservoir. Mary Gosselin-Grimeshawe was the last of the family to live in the house until she died in 1930 and the house became a youth hostel until the demolition.

Unfortunately, in 2023 Errwood Hall was closed by Forestry England to repair the damage done by vandals however, the site reopened a couple of months later and you can now visit the ruins of the hall once more.

The photographs of the hall before it was destroyed are truly spectacular. It seems like such an incredible architectural sight and it is shame that the building lasted only 100 years. You can see some images for yourself on The Goyt Valley website.

Your Visit

There are many different walks that you can do in the area which incorporate the hall however, the easiest and shortest is to the car park and back. The circular route should incorporate both the ruins of the hall and the graves of the family. If you want to head a little further and explore more of the estate, extend the walk to St Joseph’s Shrine which was dedicated to Jessie Grimshawe’s Spanish companion.

Take a look at a route here:

I highly recommend spending a couple of hours exploring if you’re in the area!

Have you been to Errwood Hall?

Amie x