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Hello everyone,
On the last forum we had quite a discussion about the suspension bridge up in the Goyt Valley. This was erected to maintain a footpath across the valley due to the fact that the ‘ground’ footpaths had disappeared due to the construction of the Fernilee Reservoir. No one quite knows where the suspension bridge actually ended up although I personally suspect it was cut up for scrap metal. I have enquired at Doveridge Council as to the source of their suspension bridge which I went to see a few weeks ago and although it is about the same size it was erected in the mid 1940’s and ours went missing in about 1967.
I have several old black and white photos of the Goyt Valley suspension bridge but for a colour one that was taken shortly before it disappeared visit this link:
It is sad indeed that this bridge is long gone as it was a beautiful structure, granted not The Golden Gate, but beautiful all the same.
R. S-S
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Amazing how one can't remember. I did not recognize the picture. I recall it as being very simple. As a child I used to walk from Stockport to get the bridge swinging. It took some effort.
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Hello Pete,
I agree memory does play tricks and things appear completely different when visited again years later or even, as has happened to you in this case, when you see a photograph.
I remember the bridge and the walkway was an open mesh construction so that if you ran across it appeared completely open; almost as though you were running through the air.
You are correct about the swinging and that in itself was very frightening but I do not recall that much effort was required to get it swinging.
As I say there is an almost identical bridge in Derbyshire and that is at Doveridge; it’s certainly worth a visit if you are in the area.
By the way Pete any idea how to get the forum going? At the moment it is merely a pale reflection of the original.
R. S-S
Pete wrote:
Amazing how one can't remember. I did not recognize the picture. I recall it as being very simple. As a child I used to walk from Stockport to get the bridge swinging. It took some effort.
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Now that I have seen the picture of the suspension bridge it brings back happy memories.
I have only lived in the Town for about 24 years so the bridge was removed well before I arrived here however my mother was from Oulton Broad and we used to go there on holiday every year when I was a child. The journey was by car and the route we used to take was via Buxton, Derby, Nottingham, Grantham etc so from the age of about four until I was 14 we used to drive over Long Hill. We would stop on occasions to look at the beautifull scenery so I do have a very vague recollection of the bridge all those years ago.
R. S-S
I tend to agree that the Forum is not as it was but I am told that the previous Forum did take time to grow, I think this will also take time. We are, after all missing Incredulous who did make alot of amazing contributions which you bounced off each other, it will happen. Have you seen the photo of the football team from Gnatalee you may be able to throw some light on the subject.
Jake Edited by user 21 April 2009 06:56:54(UTC)
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Hi R. Stephenson-Smythe and Jake and anyone else. The new forum is very "fussy and fiddly". I wrote out this post and then clicked to refer to another post and found my own outline post had vanished. I am having to rewrite it. To sign on one has to make two clicks. To look at anything else one has to make endless clicks. But it does not have the embarassing childishness and puerile "humour" of the original, so we'll get to like it.
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Hi
Just thought I would bump it from the mists of time.
Norm
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Good afternoon, David,
Thank you for posting the ‘invitation to tender’ advertisement. Although I can not find it just now.
The contracts for Fernilee Reservoir were:
Contracts A to H and Contracts 1 to 9
There was also a separate contract for the 2 Watermen’s Cottages.
The suspension bride contract was Contract No 7 and was named:
‘Footbridge at Head of Fernilee Reservoir.’
It was awarded to Joseph Parks & Son, Northwich.
The specification was:
FOOTBRIDGE AT HEAD OF RESERVOIR.
Steel Bridge of the “Stiffened Suspension Type”
Footway: “Grill Flooring”.
Span: 140 feet
Width: 4 feet 6 inches
R. S-S
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I am intrigued about this bridge, when was it took down? my wife says she remebers it, but she was born in 1966 so some one mentioned it went missing about 1967. I would of thought that since my wife remebers it, then it must have been removed in the early 70's.
Why was something so elegant took down? Taking it down must of been a big feat in its self!
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Hello Firehawk,
The suspension bridge had to remain in position over the top end of the Fernilee Reservoir to act as a substitute for the lost access across the River Goyt.
When Errwood Reservoir was constructed in the late 1960’s the road across the new dam became a new access and so the suspension bridge was surplus to requirements.
Stockport Water Board decided that it did not want the cost of maintaining the bridge in the future so it was removed immediately there was this new access.
It was a beautiful thing and you can see more photos of it on the thread ‘The Flooding of The Goyt Valley’
I was up there only yesterday and there are still a few small remnants of structure. I doubt if your dear wife can remember it but she may have seen an almost identical suspension bridge in Doveridge, Debyshire.
I have got a couple of photos of the removal of the footbridge so I'll put them on this thread when time permits.
R. S-S
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firehawk wrote:
I am intrigued about this bridge, when was it took down? my wife says she remebers it, but she was born in 1966 so some one mentioned it went missing about 1967. I would of thought that since my wife remebers it, then it must have been removed in the early 70's.
Why was something so elegant took down? Taking it down must of been a big feat in its self!
Hello once more Firehawk,
I hope you have begun to read the main thread about the Goyt Valley which contains photos and information about the suspension bridge.
As promised I will post below 2 photos of the bridge (I will repeat them on the main thread as well for Norm’s benefit and an aid to his website that is getting so much deserved praise.
I find these 2 photos rather startling as they do look like 2 different size bridges but I can assure you that they are most certainly the same bridge.
I have no idea why the second one looks so much smaller than the first.
Perhaps a photographer out there (yes you Parabuild) can offer some explanation.
You will also see that taking it down was no big feat at all.
R. S-S
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Re the Doveridge Suspension Bridge, you can find more information about our bridge at http://www.harperbridges.com/index.html?id=25which shows that Doveridge bridge was put up in 1898. This is also noted on the village website http://www.doveridge-village.orgYes it is very similar to the one which used to cross Fernilee reservoir, which I photographed in the early sixties and which was put up on Bridgemeister by myself some time ago http://www.bridgemeister.com/pic.php?pid=1722I am marginally disappointed that my photograph has appeared on your site without acknowledgment...... Thanks so much Dr Geoff Buck. Doveridge
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Profound apologies I did in fact search in vain for your email address.
Hopefully now acceptable – thanks. Edited by user 22 August 2011 08:11:37(UTC)
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Re post #10
Which way is this? Now the bridge was removed when Errwood was created, and the position of the bridge is more or less at the foot of the dam for Errwood and I know there are some very small remains.
When was that photo taken? Was it taken when Errwood was built? So is the structure on the left the start of Errwood dam or is it holding back Furnilee and Errwood is on the right? You know I know nothing about lumps of water. Or was it taken when Furnilee was built? I doubt that but I am not up to speed on dam building, or bridge dismantling come to think of it.
In other words what is that picture?
Norm
Edited by user 21 August 2011 22:56:12(UTC)
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On closer inspection, is that the overflow for Errwood and Furnilee is on the left?
Norm
Norm attached the following image(s):
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Geoff Buck wrote:Re the Doveridge Suspension Bridge, you can find more information about our bridge at http://www.harperbridges.com/index.html?id=25 which shows that Doveridge bridge was put up in 1898. This is also noted on the village website http://www.doveridge-village.org Yes it is very similar to the one which used to cross Fernilee reservoir, which I photographed in the early sixties and which was put up on Bridgemeister by myself some time ago http://www.bridgemeister.com/pic.php?pid=1722 I am marginally disappointed that my photograph has appeared on your site without acknowledgment...... Thanks so much Dr Geoff Buck. Doveridge
Geoff
Can I put your picture on our website? And if I can what do you want as acknowledgement?
Norm
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Dear Dr David Buck,
Thank you for taking the time to visit our local forum and with your special interest in the suspension bridge.
The whereabouts or final resting place of the bridge has long been a mystery to local historians.
One very knowledgeable person was certain that it was taken down carefully and removed to Wales but he doubted if it was ever re-erected.
Some folk think parts of it were taken to Whaley Bridge Memorial Park and used to replace an old wooden bridge. That is definitely not the case.
Personally I think it ended up in the local scrap yard on Long Hill.
But in an effort to ‘track it down’ a couple of years ago my travels took me to Doveridge to have a look at your bridge.
It does look very similar to the Goyt Valley Footbridge though I suspect yours is a bit of a smaller span; I did not take a tape measure with me but counted the panels.
During my enquiries I did obviously wonder if they were in fact the same bridge and I spoke to someone on the local council who had no idea (that’s councillors for you) but they put me on to the local amenity society where I spoke to someone who said he knew all about the bridge.
Firstly he assured me that it was not from the Goyt Valley as the timings were out. But he said that the Doveridge Bridge was put up during the later stages of WW11 in fact he said there was also a pill box built quite close by that was manned 24 /7 to guard against a German attack.
So I am surprised about the dates you give of 1898. Was the bridge renewed at this later date?
I would appreciate any information you have.
R. S-S
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I see the resident clown has disfigured Dr. Buck's photo in post 12, he has removed the people from the brige. Apart from the fact he has not made a good job of it I see it as another example of interfering in history and should not happen on this forum. I have attached the picture, I see from other people this is the thing to do, I will remove it when his goes. I do that to show what I mean since he may well change his, a dirty trick we expect from a low life.
If we have a decent mod maybe these posts can be deleted. snoopy attached the following image(s):
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R. Stephenson-Smythe wrote:
firehawk wrote:
I am intrigued about this bridge, when was it took down? my wife says she remebers it, but she was born in 1966 so some one mentioned it went missing about 1967. I would of thought that since my wife remebers it, then it must have been removed in the early 70's.
Why was something so elegant took down? Taking it down must of been a big feat in its self!
Hello once more Firehawk,
I hope you have begun to read the main thread about the Goyt Valley which contains photos and information about the suspension bridge.
As promised I will post below 2 photos of the bridge (I will repeat them on the main thread as well for Norm’s benefit and an aid to his website that is getting so much deserved praise.
I find these 2 photos rather startling as they do look like 2 different size bridges but I can assure you that they are most certainly the same bridge.
I have no idea why the second one looks so much smaller than the first.
Perhaps a photographer out there (yes you Parabuild) can offer some explanation.
You will also see that taking it down was no big feat at all.
R. S-S
Thanks for the photos, obviously she was mistaken (or though she claims different). Still think it was a shame they pulled it down.
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some cleaning up done.
Jon. |
Jon Goldfinch - Forum Administrator and Town Councillor
Whaley Bridge Town Council - Fernilee Ward
cllr.jong.wbtc@googlemail.com |
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R.S-S.
I have found three pipes sticking out of the ground approx where I think the concrete weights were. Here is a piccy of the one that is the longest. They seem to have a thread on them. Is this what is left of the bridge or have I got it wrong?
Norm
Norm attached the following image(s):
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