Quarry Bank Mill
Quarry Bank Mill Distance from Mottram Hall: 5.4 miles | 14 minutes
Address | Quarry Bank, Styal, Wilmslow SK9 4LA Tel | 01625 527468
Web | www.nationaltrust.org.uk/quarrybank
Open 10.30 16.00 WednesdaySunday Please check website for seasonal opening times
Quarry Bank Mill is one of Britain's greatest industrial heritage sites, showing how a complete industrial community lived. Quarry Bank overflows with the atmosphere of the Industrial Revolution. A visit to the cotton mill, built in 1784, and powered by Europe's most powerful working waterwheel, will certainly stimulate your senses. You can immerse yourself in the clattering and whirring of machines and discover what working life was like during the Industrial Revolution. Quarry Bank Mill cont...
A working mill… Hand spinning and weaving was practised for over 1,000 years in people's homes before the Industrial Revolution. In the Mill you can watch live demonstrations of hand spinning and weaving. To transform the fluffy cotton plant into a workable, durable thread it had to be prepared by various machines. The cottonprocessing floor is home to a carding engine, as well as several spinning frames. The Mill was once home to 310 automatic looms in what's now the catering block. In the Weaving Shed you can watch up to four looms being run by our demonstrators. All these machines needed a strong source of power. Originally powered by water, a huge steam engine was added which removed the reliance on the river. Marvel at one of Europe's most powerful waterwheels and see the steam engines in our Power Gallery.
The apprentice house… The Apprentice House at Quarry Bank was built by Samuel Greg to house the pauper children who worked at the mill. The reconstructed the Apprentice House closely resembles how it would have been when the children lived there in the 19th century. Visitors can take a guided tour with a costumed interpreter and learn about the children's education, medical treatments, living conditions and diet. Make sure you get all the latest remedies and cures as prescribed by the Apprentice House medical man, Doctor Holland. Be warned, remedies may include some wriggly leeches. The Apprentice House garden grew herbs for the children's medicines and remedies, as well as fruit and vegetables. The gardens have been to how we think it would have looked in about 1830 so come and take a look at the plants grown for medicine. The Apprentice House garden is also a haven for wildlife, and a great place to look for insects, reptiles and amphibians.
The estate today… Before the Mill was built, Styal Village was a small collection of barns and cottages, whose inhabitants worked on the surrounding lands. The community that developed was an early industrial one including a school, shop, bakery, and two churches. In 1939, Alexander Carlton Greg donated the estate to us to be cared for and enjoyed by future generations. Today, you can explore the Northern and Southern Woods which surround the estate and the village that the worker's called home. Meander through lush fields and acres of woodland and look out for many historic sites including the iconic worker's cottages. Enter the woods where you will find huge redwood conifers, rare varieties of rhododendron, folly bridges and the River Bollin. There are three guided walks available including the Kingfisher Walk, Giant's Castle Walk and the Southern Woods Walk. Today a team of rangers and volunteers work on the estate to protect, restore, and maintain the historic grounds and surrounding woodland.