The Mill Visit for Self-Programmed Groups
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The Mill visit for Self-Programmed Groups The Mill is a great resource for self programmed groups and many schools feel that a visit using the displays and interpreters in the mill offers them the visit that is most appropriate to them. Important information On any given day there can be over 200 students from different schools using the site. In order to help you get the most from your visit, and to help all groups to avoid having to wait to enter galleries or lunch rooms, you will be given A starting point for your tour A fixed time for lunch A fixed time for the Apprentice House (if applicable) Self-programmed groups are asked to supply a copy of their Risk Assessment at least one month before the visit to comply with our Health and Safety regulations and we also ask any teachers not familiar with the site to do a free preliminary visit. Group size and supervision is particularly important for self programmed groups - the mill has some narrow stairways and smaller display areas. We therefore require Supervision ratios of at least 1:8 for Primary students and 1:10 for Secondary. Large school parties should be divided into groups of no more than twenty-five students. Arrival and Payment Please bring your group down into the Mill Yard where they will be met by our Schools’ Liaison Officer The teacher in charge will be asked to confirm the number of children and adults in the group. Payment will be by invoice after the trip. If you need to pay on the day please contact the office to arrange this. Please ensure that you bring your booking confirmation with you and your National Trust Education Group Membership Card if applicable. You will be escorted to our schools lunch area to store packed lunches etc. Please also ensure that all supervising adults have a copy of the gallery information and a copy of the timetable for the day.. The Schools’ Liaison Officer will confirm the arrangements for your day with you and ensure groups are in the right place for their Mill tour. Mill Tour Because there can be a number of groups visiting on any day, we ask for your cooperation in trying to minimise any delays. The Mill is not arranged in a chronological order and the visit around the mill can begin at different points. There are three different entry points for the Mill: 1. Introductory Gallery 2. The Greg Room 3. The Mule Room (for a demonstration/talk on working in the Mill) From your starting point you can continue through the mill along the main visitor route. If you started your mill tour at the GREG ROOM or MULE ROOM then you can continue through the Mill until you reach the exit. When you get to the exit you need to cross the mill yard to the Main Entrance to visit the rest of the mill. A tour of the Mill can take up to 2 hours. You might like to visit only selected areas depending on the focus of your visit and the time available. Mill Tour Because there can be a number of groups visiting on any day, we ask for your cooperation in trying to minimise any delays. The Mill is not arranged in a chronological order and the visit around the mill can begin at different points. There are three different entry points for the Mill: 1. Main Entrance 2. The Greg Room 3. The Mule Room (for a demonstration/talk on Working in the Mill From your starting point you can continue through the mill along the main visitor route. If you did not start at the main entrance you will need to continue from the main entrance when you exit the mill. Gallery Guide 10 min Outside the Mill A walk around the outside of the Mill, to look at the buildings themselves, as well as the local environment, is a good starting point for investigating why the Mill was built at Styal. Background Information Quarry Bank Mill was built at Styal in 1784. The site was chosen for a number of reason; for geographical and physical reasons to do with where the site was in relation to other towns and cities, because of existing transport networks, because of reasonable rent on the land and most importantly, because of the River Bollin. The Workforce was the one factor that was not available at Styal, but at the time people were in need of work and would be willing to travel to secure employment. Children in this period frequently worked and work in a cotton mill was well suited to children. Children were sent to Quarry Bank Mill as Apprentices and when the Mill was first built, about half of the workers were children. Teacher Prompt Pupil responses What sort of things would Samuel A Power source – the River Greg need to build a Mill? Building materials to build the mill – the rock Materials to work with – cotton from Liverpool Transport to get the goods here- canal boat Machines in the Mill People to work on them Where might he get building materials Local environment—quarried stone from? Where would his cotton supply come Port of Liverpool—transported along the Bridgewater Canal from? Where would he send his finished Main commercial centre for cotton was Manchester product? Where did the workers come from? Samuel Greg sourced his workforce from all over the country. Apprentices came from Wilmslow, Heaton Norris, Pownall Fee, Newcastle Under Lyne, London, Liverpool. He built an apprentice house for the apprentice children and cottages in Styal Village for other workers. Sometimes whole families would move to Styal in search of work. What was the most important feature The River—it was the main power source at the time and it had to have sufficient of the site? volume and fall to provide power for a mill. Gallery Guide 10 min 1. Main Entrance/Temporary Exhibition Gallery The Temporary Exhibition Gallery is the first gallery space on entering the Mill form the Main Entrance. It has a changing programme of exhibitions which may be of interest to your group. 2. The Cotton Gallery The Cotton Gallery explores the role of cotton in the history of Britain and the Industrial Revolution Background Information In 1784, Quarry Bank Mill was built to spin cotton. The Cotton Gallery will help you find out why cotton was chosen and how it compares with other textile fibres. Cotton used in Great Britain came at first from the Middle East, South America and the West Indies. From 1784, cotton became available from the U.S.A. During the 1700s cotton trade was seen to threaten the established wool trade and there was a ban on cotton goods. The Cotton ban was lifted in 1774. Cotton Plants When the flowers appear, they only last for approximately three days. As the flower dies away, it is replaced by a small seed pod called a boll. For seven to eight weeks after flowering, the cotton fibres within the boll grow. Where fully ripened, the boll bursts open to reveal a fluffy mass of cotton fibres. The cotton is picked by hand or machine. Slave Trade Over the 1700s perhaps 11 million slaves were exported by European merchants from Africa to the slave colonies. As many as one in five slaves died during the journey. The Gregs had involvement Teacher Prompt Pupil responses in the slave trade. They owned a sugar plantation in Dominica and had investment Where does cotton A plant, from hot countries like China, USA, India, from family members who come from? Pakistan. made their money from slave Where did Samuel He was one of the first to use cotton from the USA ships . Greg get his cotton Robert Hyde Greg made supply from? public speeches calling for the end of slavery – although What is the connection Cotton from the USA was picked by slaves and the he still owned slaves. between cotton and transportation of cotton formed an important part of the KING COTTON slavery? ‘triangular trade’. From the 1780s cotton growing and Why is cotton a better Crisp, fresh, light, cool the cotton textile industry expanded fabric for clothes? Easy to wash and dry quickly. Doesn’t rub up Imports of raw cotton into Britain to be spun and woven into cloth rose Can be printed with colour fast dyes from almost 3 million kg in 1780 to Ideal for loose flowing gowns – fashionable in 924.4 million kg in 1912. 1700s After visiting the Cotton Gallery you will go through the door to Hand Spinning & Weaving for a demonstration. Please be aware that there may already be a group in there and that you might need to wait to take your group through. Gallery Guide 10 min each Gallery Guide 10 min Cotton Processing & 5 min Finishing 3. Hand Spinning & Weaving Two cottage settings show how cloth was spun and woven at home and in loom shops in the 1700s. All the processes from carding and hand spinning to the broadloom and spinning jenny are demonstrated by interpreters. Please be aware that you might need to wait for a presentation if a group is already in the gallery. Please ask your group to wait quietly. The presentation will last about 10 minutes with some time for questions. Please be aware of other groups who might be waiting. 4. Industrial Revolution Gallery Some of the key elements of the industrial revolution can be explored in this gallery, as they illustrate how Quarry Bank Mill was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution.