Quarry Bank Mill

Quarry Bank Mill is a cotton spinning and weaving mill, built in 1784 for Samuel Greg. The mill was expanded between 1808 and around 1820, with the addition of a weaving shed in 1834 and mill offices around 1860. It underwent restoration in 1969. The structure is made of English garden wall bond red brick and features a Welsh slate roof, topped with a tall octagonal mill chimney.

The east front of the mill is five stories high and consists of 23 bays. The right three bays, which project under a stone-coped pediment, are part of the original construction. The windows are 20-pane with stone sills and cambered brick heads. A central stone doorcase, which is ovolo-moulded, has a triangular pediment and a quaint inscription that reads, "Quarry Bank Mills Built by Samuel Greg Esquire of Belfast Ireland Anno Domini 1784." There is a clock in the pediment and an open bellcote with a lead cupola on the ridge. The central 13 bays have similar 20-pane windows, while the left bays project under a gambrel roof. Additional features at the south end include an 8-bay mill office with a hipped roof.

The west front has a lower range along the river side, with the date of 1810 marked above the wheel out-flow. At the south end, there is a four-story weaving shed with flat stone wedged heads on the lower windows. Inside, the floors are divided by simple iron columns that support wooden joists, and there are two closed string stone staircases. The mill offices still retain their original fittings.

The mill originally housed a massive wheelpit from 1819 that contained a 32-foot diameter waterwheel by Thomas Hewes, which was replaced by two turbines in 1904. A similar 25-foot diameter waterwheel, designed by Hewes's pupil Sir William Fairbairn, is set to be installed soon. For a complete history, refer to M B Rose's "The Gregs of Styal," published by the National Trust in 1978.