A background on Quarry Bank Mill from The National Trust
Category: News Release
2 July 2014
Brief history of Quarry Bank Mill and Styal
The Industrial Revolution originated in England in the late 18th century and wrought great change across the world. Its essential characteristic was an unprecedented and sustained increase in the rate of growth of manufacturing and its supporting trades and services. The speed with which the cotton industry developed was breathtaking. It grew six times faster than the population and saw an incredible pace of invention. Each machine was faster, bigger, more reliable, or produced a finer cloth than the one before.
The founding of Quarry Bank Mill
It was within this opportunistic climate of rising industry and high demand for cotton products that Samuel Greg built Quarry Bank Mill on the banks of the River Bollin at Styal in Cheshire in 1784. The mill would go on to produce cotton products for nearly 200 years.
Samuel was armed with business experience he gained working for his merchant uncles in Manchester and the generous inheritance they left him. He therefore seized the opportunity to take advantage of the desperate need for the expansion and industrialisation of the cotton industry.
Expanding the business
During the 1820s the Mill was so successful that Samuel was not only able to expand Quarry Bank Mill but also to construct several more cotton spinning and weaving mills, employing more than 2,000 people, including his four sons who joined the family business.
By 1860 Quarry Bank Mill had become the headquarters of one of the largest cotton manufacturing businesses in Britain – an empire of five mills at the heart of ‘Cottonopolis’ (Manchester – the hub of Britain’s cotton industry).
The Apprentices
Over half of the Greg workforce was made up of poor and orphaned children. By 1790, the Apprentice House had been built to house them. It was designed to be home to 90 children who were cared for by a series of husband and wife superintendents.
The Apprentice House had a revealing history of runaways and punishments, as well as success stories and the reputation of providing a greater standard of care for its young charges than other mills of the time.
The children were provided with quality medical care by the Greg family doctor, Dr Peter Holland. They also received a basic education three nights a week in writing and maths, with the boys progressing further than the girls, who were expected to learn housekeeping skills, such as sewing. The Gregs awarded prizes to the apprentices for their achievements.
In terms of punishing bad behaviour, rather than resorting to corporal punishment, the usual reprimands included working overtime, fines, and – for more serious offences – the apprentices were locked in a room for a few days at a time with only porridge to eat and no bread, as in the case of Esther Price.
Village
Samuel recognised the need to attract more workers to Quarry Bank, and he began converting barns in Styal village into homes for his workers. In the 1820s, the construction of several rows of purpose built cottages began, all of which had their own allotment and lavatory, thereby having a distinct sanitary advantage over houses in the cities. Samuel and his wife Hannah were concerned for the education of the workers and their children, and built a school in 1823. They were also interested in their spiritual well-being and built a Unitarian chapel in the 1820s. Later, Robert Hyde Greg built a Methodist Chapel for use by the workers. There was also a shop set up by Samuel which operated under the ‘truck’ system, whereby the cost of their food was taken directly from their wages. Styal was highlighted as a model of paternalistic care by commentators of the time.
The Quarry Bank Appeal
In 2013 a £1.9 million appeal was launched to raise funds to complete the story of Quarry Bank. Part of this work will involve making the remarkable archive more accessible through digitisation projects and community involvement. To date the appeal has raised over £700,000 and a second round bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund is currently being submitted, which will allow work to begin in earnest.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/quarry-bank/our-work
Further Resources:
The National Trust: Quarry Bank Mill website:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/quarry-bank
Quarry Bank Revealed Blog:
www.quarrybankmill.wordpress.com
The National Trust: Quarry bank Mill – GCSE Resource pack:
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