Quarry Bank Mill

By Mark Bateman

Located in Styal Cheshire, and now operated by the National Trust, Quarry Bank Mill is one of the best surviving textile factories from the Industrial revolution when production changed from a mainly rural ‘cottage’ (home- based) industry, to a centralised and factory- based means of production around which towns and cities grew and developed.

The factory was built in 1784 by Samuel Greg a British entrepreneur who also operated a slave plantation he had inherited in the West Indies. Greg was notable for his early adoption of revolutionary technologies including using waterpower to operate new machinery such as spinning frames. There have also been claims he took a (comparatively) enlightened view of labour relations attending to the spiritual and educational needs of his work force. This was in large – part due to his wife Hannah Lightbody who helped Greg provide medical care to his workers, and some education to children in his care.

The mill itself is located at an advantageous site on the River Bollin which allowed Greg to harness the power of the river to operate his waterwheels. The mill was also connected by road to the Bridgewater Canal for easy access to shipments of raw cotton transported in from Liverpool.

Greg leased the land the mill stands on from Lord Stamford who imposed the condition that none of the surrounding trees were to be loped, pruned, or felled. This was obviously taken to heart as the factory now stands adjacent to beautiful gardens and woodlands.

The mill is an imposing building, built with ‘no frills’ to be a working cotton - spinning factory. It was originally a four storey building measuring 8.5 metres by 27.5 metres and incorporated a staircase, a counting house and warehousing space. Its main method of production was by use of the Water Frame a type of spinning machine patented (the basic idea had been around for a long time) by Richard Arkwright in 1769.

In 1796 the factory was extended; it was doubled in length and a fifth floor was added. By 1784 the mill ran 2425 spindles which grew to 3452 spindles by 1805. The mill was further expanded in 1836 and 1838 when the development of new machinery meant weaving the finished cotton moved to being completed at the factory rather than being produced in individual homes as it had previously been. To this end weaving sheds were added to the site which housed over 300 looms. By the time Greg retired in 1832, leaving his son to take over, it was the largest mill in the country.

The means of powering the mill was a succession of water wheels, originally wooden, and then made of

iron, each larger and more powerful than the last. An 1835 report on the mill recorded that the factory was,

‘Driven by an elegant water- wheel, thirty- two feet in diameter and twenty- four feet broad, equivalent in power to one hundred and twenty horses.’

The first water wheel was a wooden ‘over shot’ wheel, this meant water from the river went over the top of the wheel causing it to turn. The wheel was linked to over head shafts which used a belt system to power the mill machinery. By the time, the second wheel was installed Greg was damning the river and diverting it to flow directly through the factory to increase power. The mill’s iron water wheel, designed by Thomas Hawes, was the fourth at the site and was installed between 1816- 1820. Some idea of the huge size of the wheels can be seen in the photograph of the 1847 water wheel shaft.

Today the mill still houses the most powerful working water wheel in Europe and calico, a type of unfinished cotton, is still produced at the mill.

As the factory expanded and the technology grew the factory installed a steam engine in 1810 for use in the summer months when the low level of the river could cause delays and problems with power and hence production.

So what about the people who worked in the mills themselves? There’s no doubt life was tough for them with adults working seventy hour weeks over six days. Greg first converted some farm buildings into accommodation for his workers but when this became insufficient he built the small nearby cottages known as Oak cottages. Workers had to pay him to rent these tiny two up two down houses and often fourteen or more workers were crammed into the two bedrooms in each house.

It is believed Greg himself, along with his wife, attempted to create a village type atmosphere for his workers by providing the ‘Oak School’ to educate the child workers and ‘Northcliffe Chapel’ where his workers could attend church, with a Sunday School provided for the children. He also provided medical care and the system at Quarry Bank is believed to be one of the first examples of an ‘occupational health system’ in the country.

However, despite this, child labour was an essential part of the labour force, at the factory’s peak over 50% of the work force was made up of children recruited from poor families in the workhouses and orphanages. It was believed these children were better off employed than left to the horrors of the workhouse.

Children were originally brought in from Hackney and Chelsea but later came from neighbouring areas and the Liverpool poor houses. Thankfully, as people decided children were better off in school the percentage of children employed dropped to 20% in 1833 and the ‘Apprentice System’ was abandoned in 1847. In 1790 Greg built the apprentice house for his child apprentices, and provided some education, but again dozens of children were forced to share very cramped quarters.

Life inside the mill was undoubtably worse for the children than the adults. They were also forced to work 12 hours a day five to six days a week. They were often used for cleaning under machinery, and freeing jams, while the machines were still working. It was highly dangerous work and losing a finger, or limb, or even death by crushing were not uncommon occurrences.

The popular drama series, ‘The Mill’ was based on accounts obtained from the archives at Quarry Bank mill detailing the harshness of day to day life for the workers at the mill and is well worth a watch to gain an insight into the workings of a mill.

Although the Mill has not yet re-opened it is worth a visit to enjoy the beautiful grounds and garden, the cafes, shop, and pre-loved book shop. It’s a living historical monument to a time when life was tough for the workers, luxurious for the mill owners and ‘cotton was king.’

An original water frame spinning machine