National Trust - Quarry Bank - Wilmslow

Debbie N

Lovely place to visit. Would recommend.

Volunteers/Staff:
The volunteers were friendly and very knowledgeable. One gent met us as the door of the mill to welcome us and gave us a good amount of information, another started up a steam engine for us to see. As we went around, other volunteers and staff always had a smile and a hello.

Mill:
Take your time and really look around, so much history to learn and you get to see how it all worked. We were offered to book onto tours for other indoor areas but we preferred to make own way at own pace so didn't book on. Booking is free.

Gardens:
Lovely for a stroll around, well maintained and has designated pathways.

Other bits:
Has clean restrooms, book shop, mill shop and restaurants.
We stayed a couple of hours but you can easily make a day of it, especially when everything is open and if you book onto the tours.

Graham Robinson

Quarry Bank Mill is quite simply a fantastic National Trust treasure and place to visit.
The National Trust staff and volunteers to a wonderful job maintaining, not just the buildings but also the gardens surrounding the Mill. They give informative talks to visitors as to the workings of the Mill machinery and general history as to the workers way of life from day to day.
During our visit we had a walk along the River Bollin, so peaceful and stress free, apart from the occasional roar of the jet engines from near by Manchester Airport.
We took a picnic with us and sat down on a picnic bench with a great view of the weir waterfall, it was just perfect.
All in all it was a lovely day out at Quarry Bank Mill, I can thoroughly recommend a visit.

Peter Bonnebaigt

I love it here. There’s something innately peaceful about the surrounding area that makes it perfect for a relaxing and leisurely walk.

The mill gives an interesting insight into how this area was shaped by, and shaped, the Industrial Revolution. The level of record keeping at the mill seemed to be quite high so there’s a lot of information about how the people there lived, including some of the medical practices at the mill.

There are staff all around the mill who will give demonstrations of the mill machinery to allow us to see the cotton making process. It’s amazing hearing and seeing the machinery working.

They also offer guided tours around the apprentice house, where the child apprentices lived. The tours are insightful and fun for all ages.

László Balogh

A full day family experience, comprising a mansion, a mill and other buildings, a fascinating insight into mill life.
You can travel back in time seeing the accommodation of the apprentices (the tour is highly recommended), the working, original machinery in the mill, or even the house of the owner who had the estate built.
It's definitely worth a walk in the village as well.

K Siu

this place has a very strong historical background of children working in a factory, however, it may be a dangerous environment. some were died and some were heavily injured. buying slave from other countries. whats are the total procedure of transforming raw cotton to cotton cloth. you can still witnessing how the old machines work, listen to their roaring noise.

In the souvenirs shop, there are some cloth products which is made in this factory .

Duncan Parsons

Car park is some way from the Mill though close to the Apprentice House. For those with mobility issues there is a buggy service. The Mill is absolutely astonishing. It's history profoundly disturbing. The exploitation, in the main, of the workforce amounted to slavery. With few benefits, though some, for
those involved. The house is hardly worth a visit. Concentrate on the Mill and the Apprentice house. Both are a remarkable experience. The young man guiding us round the Apprentice House was excellent and deserves special mention. The gardens are spectacular . Regrettably on this occasion we were unable to enjoy them Don't waste your time going to Styal village. The chapel is never open. And there is nothing else there worth the effort walking there. Recommend a visit unreservedly. If nothing else it will let you appreciate how lucky one is to not have been forced to work there in those conditions

Carl Davidson

A lovely day out to one of the National Trust best structured attractions. Not only the impressive mill to visit, but also a great woodland walk, multiple properties and the lovely Styal village nearby. Can't recommend enough!

Ben

Interestibg museum in a fantastic location, but the museum is really overpriced for its content unfortunately. Was really surprised to see parking was free which makes a change. The rest of the site including the walks and village are all free to explore and it felt that this was what most people were there for, lots and lots of dog walkers enjoying the paths and parklands. The main mill felt a little disorganised with poor signage, even just locating the steps to each floor was a little confusing. Some rooms seemed empty with little to look at, others had some content but still a bit lacking. I feel the museum is being kept running by school kid visits which seems to be well catered for. We will definitely return but will give the museum a miss next time and just enjoy the walks.