Quarry Bank - A Working Victorian Mill (Quarry Bank Mill & Styal Country Park)

Member Name: Shekera

Product:	Quarry Bank Mill & Styal Country Park
Date:	30/01/02 (277 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Loads to keep you interested and a lot to learn.

Disadvantages: Probably too much to take in during one trip - most definately need to visit more than once.

Quarry Bank Mill is a National Trust property which is located 2 miles south of Manchester Airport, Junctions 5 or 6 of the M56 and is well worth a visit – it is a history lesson which for once, is not boring, even for children. There is so much to learn from just on visit.

Quarry Bank Mill was founded in 1784 by Samuel Greg, who at the time was a young textile merchant who chose the site for many reasons, one of which was for its location as it was near to the River Bollin and had easy access to the Bridgewater Canal, which went through Liverpool. Quarry Bank Mill was staffed by orphan children who lived in the Apprentice House, which you can see as part of the Museum.

Through his mill, Samuel Greg built a local community for his workers, which became known as Styal, building local amenities for his staff, such as a church and school, as well as terraced housing and cottages for the families.

The Apprentice House was built around 1790 and house about 100 children, whom made up around 50 percent of the workforce. These children could be as young as ten years old, and were contracted to work for seven years. This part of the Museum is very “hands-on” and you are encouraged to touch the objects, and you can even pump water from a well in the yard!

As well as the Apprentice House, (my favourite) there is a lot to see at Quarry Bank Mill including the original Mill building, loads of artefacts relating to the Greg family, including pictures and old documents. The working Cotton Mill provides an insight into what life was like working in the Mill, including the sounds and smell of 19th century textile machines.

The iron waterwheel, which is recently new addition to the Quarry Bank Museum, is quite awesome as it shows the two major sources of power available during the Industrial Revolution working in its original context – these being a Boulton and Watt type Beam Engine c.1830 and an 1880s Horizont
al Engine which is powered by live steam.

Waterpower was the wonder of the late 18th Century and today you can see this technological breakthrough in action at Quarry Bank Mill. Award-winning galleries are devoted to water and steam power, with hands-on displays and exhibits, a 1830s Beam Engine and a Horizontal Steam Engine, which steam daily.

Quarry Bank Mill was the best history lesson I have had since being a child – the best £6 I have spent in a long while. I also recommend that you finish your visit with a bite to eat at the Mill Kitchen, which I found to be good value, and reasonably priced.

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