The Mill Series 2 – “My Morning as an Extra”

For the second series of The Mill, filming actually took place on one of the machine floors; the Weaving Shed. Darlow Smithson Productions wanted the scenes to look as realistic as possible, and so when the story moved into the Weaving Shed to follow Susannah Bate returning to work, it was important that our historic…

The Mill – Series 2 – best behind the scenes photos

Back at the end of April, Darlow Smithson were in their final week of filming the second series of The Mill, and I took it upon myself to loiter around the set taking photo after photo after photo. In the end I had around 300 pictures and one slightly irked producer after I accidentally wandered…

Children of The Mill by David Hanson

To accompany the second series of The Mill, a book has been released which explores the lives of the apprentices at Quarry Bank, from the beginnings of the apprentice system in the 1790s, to its end in 1847. The book is called Children of The Mill, by David Hanson. Back in July we held a…

The Mill Series 2 – interviews with Kerrie Hayes, Andrew Lee Potts and Matthew McNulty

Have you been enjoying The Mill on Channel 4? Who’s your favourite character at the moment? Whilst they were filming here at Quarry Bank, the National Trust managed to grab some one-on-one time with some of the cast and find out what their thoughts were on their characters and on Series 2. Warning – the…

The Mill – Series 2 – behind the scenes – exploring the set

Back in April, myself and other staff members, who helped out with the filming of The Mill, were invited to the studio set in Media City. Darlow Smithson Productions have been kind enough to allow me to share the photos I took of the fantastically detailed sets. I apologise in advance if the photos look…

Accidents at Quarry Bank Mill – The Mill Series 2 Episode 2

In Episode 2 of The Mill we see Jack Howlett nearly reach a horrific end, when his head is almost crushed between the draw frame and the back plate of the spinning mule. Luckily for Jack, his father John Howlett in an act of superhuman strength brings the mule to a stop by grabbing the…

The Mill Series 2 – William Greg

Sunday night saw the introduction of another member of the Greg family in The Mill; William Greg, played by Andrew Lee Potts. In the first episode we learn that William has taken over the running of Quarry Bank Mill, whilst his elder brother, Robert Hyde Greg, is in Manchester acting as an MP to fight…

The Mill Series 2, Episode 1 – The Poor Laws

Series 2 of The Mill has kicked off  by exploring of one of the most contentious pieces of legislation of the 19th century; The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, which saw the wide-scale introduction of the infamous workhouse, as we greet a brand new family; the Howletts. Daniel Bate: Robert Greg’s asked the Poor…

Mapping out The Mill Series 2

The Mill returns to our screens tonight on Channel 4 at 8pm. The second series includes some new locations, most prominent being Styal Village. For me, and for those of you who know the site well, it’s easy to reconcile the distances we see the workers walking in the series from their cottages to the…

The Mill Series 2 Press Pack from Channel 4

Yesterday, Channel 4 released their press pack for Series 2 of The Mill. It’s absolutely jam packed full of information about the second series, as well as loads of information about the fact behind the fiction that we here at Quarry Bank supplied them with, and even the article first featured here on the blog…

The Mill – Series 1 Catch up and a look ahead to Series 2

For those of you living in the UK, you may have spotted a few TV adverts reminding you that you can catch up with Series 1 of The Mill, ahead of Series 2 which is due to air at the end of July. I thought today that I would direct you to a few previous…

The finest picture of Devoted, tender and faithful attachment…

Around this time last year I found myself battling with what I called the “stickiest tape I have ever come across in my life” (and I stand by that statement), whilst installing our ‘Lady of Letters‘ exhibition, to complement the release of David Sekers’ book ‘A Lady of Cotton, Hannah Greg, Mistress of Quarry Bank…