A walk around the Quarry Bank Mill site from Styal Railway Station
Quarry Bank Mill was built in 1784 and is described as one of the best preserved mills of the Industrial Revolution, now being run by the National Trust. More information can be found about the history of the site on the National Trust website.
The mill is a short walk from Styal station. A modern visitor centre is situated next to the car park from which tickets can be bought. The site is spread across a park with other sites associated with the mill in the grounds. A map of the site today can be downloaded from the National Trust website which can be seen here.
1874 Map (top left of map)
Below - The mill complex.
Below - The back of the mill buildings and the River Bolling that gave the mill its power and is the reason for it being built here. The mill race left the river to the right of the photo and a couple of arches can be seen in the building from where the water wheels were. The mill was enlarged several times over the years and with it the water wheels were replaced with larger ones. The last water wheel was so large that it was deeper than the river at this point so the channel from it runs underground to meet the river further down.
Below - Another view from the river side of the mill. The mill owner's Quarry Bank House can be seen on the left. The chimney was for a couple of steam engines added later on to supplement the water power during dry summers.
Below - The mill seen from the south end of the site. On the right is an overflow from a sluice on the mill race running back in to the River Bolling, this would prevent too much water pressure on the mill race.
Below - The sluices on the mill race. In the museum displays a model showed how these worked and you could open sluices to see how it adjusted the flow of water through the mill.
Below - A cottage at the south end of the mill complex, this wasn't open at the time of my visit.
Below - The weir on the river.
Below - A more modern channel next to the mill race. A modern water turbine now provides much of the electricity for the mill complex.
Below - The entrance to the mill complex.
Below - A shaft from one of the earlier water wheels.
Below - The arch on the right for the current water wheel. The buldings are pained white here to let more light in to the windows of the weaving shed on the left.
Below - The current water wheel. This was recovered from another mill during restoration work here and would have been very similar to the original, having been designed by the same engineer.
Below - A display of early looms typical of when weaving would be a cottage industry before the days of mass production that mills such as this brought about.
Below - Rows of looms with one worker now able to work multiple looms simultaneously, all driven by the line shafts powered by the water wheel.
Below - The governor that regulates the speed of the machinery driven by the waterwheel to produce a constant speed whilst the flow of the water may vary.
Below - Pit for the earliest water wheel which was replaced as the mill was enlarged. The bearing for the axle can be seen on the left.
Below - The beam engine added to provide additional power should the water power not be sufficient in dry weather. It can be seen that the engine house has been added to the end of the mill building.
Below - A later horizontal steam engine.
Below - The top of the boiler that powered the engines.
Below - The boiler seen from where the fireman would have worked.
Below - The coal chute where coal would have been dropped in to the fireman's bunker from the road along the front of the mill.
Below - An unusual view of the chimney end of the boiler through a hole in the wall.
Below - Some more of the mill machinery.
Below - The mill offices.
Below - The window where workers would have received their pay packets.
Below - The other side of the window where workers would have lined up for the pay packets.
Below - Quarry Bank House. This was open for regular guided tours.
Below - The site had extensive gardens. Here the greenhouse and head gardener's cottage can be seen.
Below - The Apprentice House. This could be visited by guided tours booked at the visitor centre. Here there were dormitories for children, often orphans, who where effectively bought from workhouses in the nearby cities.
Below - Out buildings of the Apprentice House.
Below - The Apprentice House kitchen with the tour guide.
Below - One of the dormitories.
Below - This was where the children would spend much of the time they were not at work with meals taken here as well as some schooling and games.
To the north of the mill was the village of Styal. The cottages provided for mill workers can be seen, though these are now private residences.
Below - Oak Cottages, the former mill workers' houses.
Below - The village shop which would have sold provisions to the mill workers and would have been run by the mill. It now serves as the Styal Village Hub but wasn't open at the time of my visit.
Below - Norcliffe Chapel. This saved mill workers a long walk to the nearest village on a Sunday morning when it was built.
I walked back to Styal railway station for my train home. It's interesting to note that the railways came much later than the mill, Styal station didn't open until 1909. Originally materials for the mill and produce for delivery had a long horse and cart journey to the nearest canal. The mill was never connected to the railway, though no doubt in later years horses and carts would have run back and forth between the mill and the railway goods yard which was situated next to the south bound platform and is now used by a plant hire firm.
