Nothing can replace a visit to a working museum to fully understand life in an early industrial revolution cotton mill. An investigation into quarry bank mill addressing three questions regarding. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Bank mill, styal, from 1978 to 1989 and author of a newly published book. It has been designated by english heritage as a grade ii listed building. Literary life at quarry bank tends to be associated with the mill owning greg family. Our main duties are to preserve government records and to set standards in information management and reuse. Quarry bank mill and styal estate national trust culture24. Discovering the workers library at quarry bank national trust. She appeared in peter hollands treatment book, aged 10, with what seems to have been a sore neck. Quarry bank is the most complete and least altered factory colony of the industrial revolution. Find expert advice on historic routes and scenic paths through the country. Heatherlea guest house is just a miles walk from wilmslow town centre and rail station.
Quarry bank mill was built in 1784 on the banks of the river bollin near styal. Quarry bank mill in styal, cheshire, england, is one of the best preserved textile mills of the. In the mill and garden shops, youll find a range of gifts, homeware and garden products. The history of power at quarry bank encompasses the harnessing of a mighty river, a series of steam engines, a leap of faith in water turbines and, above all, the hard work of skilled labourers. Video of the splendid quarry bank mill in cheshire. Built i n 1784, the mill is recorded in the national heritage list for england as a designated grade ii listed building, and inspired the 20 televisi on serie s the mill. Buy quarry bank mill and styal estate, cheshire by national trust isbn. Focusing on the lives of the apprentices at quarry bank mill, david hansons book uses a wealth of firstperson source material including letters, diaries, mill records, to tell the stories of the children who lived and worked at quarry bank throughout the nineteenth century. In 1783 he took over the business, which continued as samuel greg and co. Quarry bank mill was set dressed so it appeared as it did in the 1830s. The national archives is the uk governments official archive. Elizabeth arrived at quarry bank with her sister ann and was apprenticed in 1803 aged only 5. Established in 1784, quarry bank was home to a thriving community at a defining moment in history. By car follow signs for manchester airport, then take the b5166 to cheadle.
True stories from quarry bank, by david hanson, was written to accompany the channel 4 series, the mill, which first screened as two series in 20 and 2014. Historical guide to styal village and oak cottages. Styal is a commuter village, with access to manchester. Quarry bank mill, cheshire east 1237687 historic england. There were about 60 girls and 30 boys, each viewed as an apprentice and had to stay for at least 10 years, or then continued working as an adult. A background on quarry bank mill from the national trust. It was water powered originally by an iron wheel built between 1816 and 1820 by thomas hewes. Joseph sefton through the succeeding three decades after their flight from styal to london. Quarry bank mill in cheshire, england, is one of the best preserved textile mills of the industrial revolution and is now a museum of the cotton industry. Exploring quarry bank mill and why it got me thinking quarry bank mill used to be a cotton mill during the industrial revolution. Quarry bank mill styal the quarry bank mill was built in 1784 by samuel greg in the village of styal south of the manchester city centre. The industrial revolution of the late 18th centu ry transformed britain and helped create our modern world. Quarry bank mill also kno wn as styal mill in styal, cheshire, england, is one of the best preserved tex tile mills of the industrial revolution and is now a museum of the cotton industry.
Channel 4 produced a docudrama, the mill, inspired by the history of quarry bank mill. Travel back in time to the industrial revolution at the quarry bank mill. Throughout quarry banks history, the greg family were keen to promote the. The way he expressed his shock and trauma was simply to say that he missed his. Discover the story of power at quarry bank in this digital exhibition. Samuel greg, which started off spinning and changed completely to weaving in 1896.
The book reveals the real lives of the main characters, showing how close to the truth the dramatisation is. Quarry bank mill is a first generation water powered cotton mill built in 1784, see the waterwheel, steam engines and cotton machinery working daily. Behind the mill, the beating heart of quarry bank, lies a room which is hidden from. Stay on the b5166 past styal village and youll see the signposts to quarry bank mill. For a unique souvenir, make sure you pick up a quarry bank glass cloth, which has been woven on heritage looms in the mill.
But hidden within the collection lies the workers library, a set of hundreds of books which were enjoyed by the mill workers and residents of styal village in the early twentieth century. Quarry bank house in styal, c national trust and andrew butler. This however, is the total opposite from quarry bank mill. One of the most important mills on the bollin was quarry bank mill at styal erected in 1784 by mr.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Robert introduced weaving to quarry bank mill in 1838, and continued to expand the mill with a new steam engines and boiler houses, a cloth warehouse, the gas retort house and the weaving sheds. Historical guide to the apprentice house, quarry bank. It offers bright, airy rooms with free wifi and ensuite shower rooms. The first from 17841911, and the second from 19111925.
Its essential characteristic was an unprecedented and sustained increase in the rate of growth of manufacturing and its supporting trades and services. The true story behind quarry bank mill the inspiration for the. The village is dominated by quarry bank mill and much of its housing is the mill s estate. The mill continued weaving until 1959, when it was closed. One of our most useful sources of information that we have here at quarry bank is the mill memorandum, which comes in two volumes and is a compilation of the information taken from the day books. Here, the story of hannahs remarkable life is told for the first time. The route passes the millpond, crosses herons pool bridge and continues on. Quarry bank is closed today wednesday due to flooding. A counterattraction to the public house discovering the. Literary life at quarry bank tends to be associated with the millowning greg family. Looking for hotels near quarry bank mill and styal estate. Situated in the grounds of quarry bank on the national trusts styal estate this walk follows the river from the mill to the point at which the rivers dean and bollin combine at twinnies bridge. Quarry bank mill is steeped in over 200 years of fascinating history and has its own scary stories to tell, including ghastly accidents, runaway children, and mysterious. The mill is closed from 20 november 2017 for the installation of a passenger lift and reinterpretation of the galleries.
Quarry bank mill was built in 1784 on the banks of the river bollin near styal in cheshire. Edward was the third owner of quarry bank mill and had a great many hobbies including collecting fossils and bird eggs, as well as hunting and shooting. Gang are currently on route to close styal road, wilmslow due to the river dean banks bursting, please avoid the area. Quarry bank mill quarry bank road, styal sk9 4la england. This source is reliable because it is a report from the commission. Guided tours of the apprentice house show what life was like for the pauper children who worked in the mill. Samuel greg had a number of different partners in the quarry bank mill business, including peter ewart, an engineer. Joseph and thomas are both indentured apprentices to quarry bank mill in the early 19th. Its essential characteristic was an unprecedented and sustained increase in the rate of growth of. The quarry bank runaways in the early 19th century, when it was the policy of many of the poorhouses and workhouses to deter paupers from applying by making the conditions inside harsh and unpleasant, two boys set out on a journey to hackney workhouse in london. This is a study of an important family business, set firmly within the wider context of english society during the period of industrialisation.
Robert retired in 1870, and passed the management of quarry bank mill to his son, edward hyde greg. Robert alexander greg robert had a varied career as the owner of quarry bank mill, as a soldier in the first world war and later as a magistrate. The industrial revolution originated in england in the late 18th century and wrought great change across the world. It is presented as fiction yet it reads as a historical account of these two young. In quarry bank mill, there was no physical assault done to harm the child in anyway. If youre looking for something truly terrifying to do this halloween then make sure you book tickets to quarry bank mill s longrunning, and much loved, spooky tours. Read our insiders guide to the best winter walks in quarry bank mill, as recommended by telegraph travel.
I had not watched the tv show prior to reading the book. List of men at styal about the year 1860 compiled from memory by thomas tongue english geneologist, 17 1922 styal cottages rent book, 184450. Their starting point was in the pleasant cheshire countryside, where they were apprenticed to the cotton mill built by samuel greg. Nice piece of history in this book for any history lovers. It has got so much history making you realise how hard those. We enjoyed a fascinating visit to quarry bank mill at styal, in cheshire south of manchester. Construction of quarry bank mill, styal, cheshire, began in 1783 and was completed by 1784. The fact that inspired the fiction quarry bank revealed. His edition of the diary of hannah lightbody 17869 was published as a supplement to the journal of enlightenment and dissent in 2008. Oozing with heritage, you can experience the sounds and smells of steam and waterpowered engines, explore the cotton mill to learn about spinning, weaving, the production of material, and the history of the textile industry, tour the apprentice house for a glimpse into the lives of pauper children, stroll the.
Visited styal just a couple of days before the corona virus forced lockdown so the house and mill were closed but there were beautiful walks around the gardens, outside the mill and the reservoir and then into the preserved part of styal village which was absolutely beautiful. He has been writing about quarry bank, styal since 1978, specialising in the famous greg family. Quarry bank mill, on the river bollin in the village of styal, was founded by samuel greg in 1784 for the spinning of cotton and, by the time of his retirement in 1832, it was the largest cotton spinning business in the uk. Quarry bank is one of britains greatest industrial heritage sites and the inspiration for channel 4s the mill. The historical novels about the quarry bank apprentices and their life stories. River dean at wilmslow and quarry bank hit by flooding. Hear tales from styal village and other oral histories from the quarry bank. Contentsshow water mill the mill was founded by samuel greg in 1784 in the village of styal on the river bollin. Quarry bank styal 2020 all you need to know before you. Holly lucas, john fay, sope dirisu, matthew mcnulty, vicky binns and kerrie hayes at the launch of series two of the mill at quarry bank mill, styal 1 of 31. The historic cotton mill founded by the greg family is still a working mill and brings the early industrial revolution to life, while the picturesque gardens overflow with an atmosphere of beauty and tranquility. A brief history of quarry bank quarry bank revealed.