The key to why we have embarked on the Quarry Bank Project, is that it will allow us to tell more of the incredible stories about this unique place. We can’t do this alone though and we are extremely fortunate that Hannah Barker, chair of Manchester Histories and expert in the Industrial Revolution has agreed to…
Tag: workers
Voices of the Mill Workers
Hi, This week Helen our Collections and Archive Intern discovered some letters written by workers at Quarry Bank. I could not wait to find out more, so over to Helen. Working in the archives, it can sometimes be easy to overlook the day to day experiences of the workers at the mill amongst the many…
Dr Holland’s Herbal Remedies
Dr Peter Holland, not only mixed with the gentry, but also showed concern for the poor. Developing a large practice in the Knutsford area, as well as working for the Leicesters at Tabley, the Stanleys at Alderly and the Egertons at Tatton, he was the family medical practioner for the Greg family and took responsibility for the medical care of…
Countryfile and The Clock Tower
Rather excitingly, at the end of last month, Ellie Harrison, Countryfile presenter, visited Quarry Bank to film for an episode of the programme, which will air this Sunday (8 March). As it is National Apprentice Week from 9-13 March, she chatted to Quarry Bank’s Clare Brown (Machine Interpretation Supervisor) and discovered what life was like…
Meet the Interns
I’m handing over to Sophie for this post, our new Visitor Experience Intern. Hello! My name is Sophie and I’ll be bringing you behind the scenes sneak-peeks, tales of the staff and volunteers hard work in the Mill and across the estate, and lots more stories from the goldmine that is Quarry Bank’s archive. I…
Christmas with the Apprentices
Last year the cataloguing team found a series of letters relating to Robert Hyde Greg and his family at Christmas. It made me think about the very different Christmas that was happening at the Apprentice House. Christmas was without a doubt the best day of the year for the apprentices, who worked six days a…
Remembering the fallen soldiers of Styal – Heroes of Adventure
Today, 96 years since Armistice was declared, and the First World War ended, people around the world remember those who courageously gave their lives. At 11 o’clock this morning, the staff and volunteers of Quarry Bank gathered in the Heroes of Adventure exhibition to observe the two minutes silence. Styal village lost 24 men in…
How our visitors care for Quarry Bank – the Bell Tower, the water wheel, cobbles and glasshouses
In two weeks the National Trust will have entered its Winter season, and many of the mansions and houses we look after will close to carry out important conservation works on the buildings and their collections. Whilst we reduce our open days from 7 to 5 here at Quarry Bank, we are also busy getting…
Heroes of Adventure – what our visitors think
Our exhibition Heroes of Adventure has been on display for a few months now, if you still haven’t seen it, here are some kind comments from our visitors about the exhibition, who will hopefully persuade you to come and visit… “It shows how brave and selfless people were. It proves that we must learn from…
‘Turns out it was probably part of a cupboard…’
Back in July I got an excited phone call from Ally: “Hello! I think you need to come over the Archive, we’ve received a really interesting donation!”. I arrived in the archive to find Ally, and our then Oral History intern Sarah, heads bowed over the table examining the mystery item, which turned out to…
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…
Heroes of Adventure – Madge Greg – life as a VAD nurse in WW1
On Monday at 10pm the UK brought an end to a day of commemorating the centenary of the First World War by participating in the ‘Lights Out’ event, to remember the lives lost in the conflict. Our exhibition Heroes of Adventure commemorates the involvement of the Greg family, the mill workers and the villagers of…
