Heritage site from the early Industrial Revolution & home to Europe's most powerful water wheel.
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
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!
Beautiful gardens and a very interesting museum. There are tours and guides. You need some good footwear as there are a few steep hills, there is a small bus that can help out. Lovely shoe and two places to eat, or you can take a picnic. When you walk around the museums it brings home the terrible conditions that people had to work in, also there is lots of information about the family who owned the mill, they were traders in slavery which gives all pause for thought. Very interesting day. On a brighter note check out the gift shop some lovely items .
5 stars + a few. My grandson is studying engineering at University. His enthusiasm was picked up on & we got full tour & explanation on steam engines & mill operations. Absolutely 1st class !!!
Beautiful grounds & gardens, and fascinating information and perspective on the somewhat grim history. Visit the living quarters of child labourers in a guided tour, the mill with still -working, noisy old machinery, and the owner's house - to see "how the other half lived", in comfort and luxury. Very educational. Maybe the tour should include just a tad more acknowledgement of the unfairness of how girls/women were treated (less space in dormitory, half the pay) to contextualize this, for the sake of the girls listening. There were some lively girls in the audience of our tour and I was very aware of the impact on them and how they tried to make sense of this.
We visited Thursday morning it wasn't too busy, first we got on the tour for the apprentice house. The guide was in a period costume and she was very knowledgeable, the information was great and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Then we made for the cafe/restaurant for a cup of tea followed by a visit to the shop and book shop. Moving on to the mill itself, we were surprised to see the looms and machinery working, the guides fully explained how the machines worked. We then walked down to the village, unfortunately we had not pre booked the workers house so could not see around . I felt that some information before the quite long walk would have assisted us perhaps a sign on the first gate near the visitor centre would be appropriate. However we had a lovely 3 hours looking around, there is a good area for children, it really does take you back in time and how hard life was for the children who had to work in the mill.
On-site services
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Good for kids
Hello! I'm your AI guide for National Trust - Quarry Bank. I can help you with information about this attraction, including its history, best times to visit, and tips for your visit. What would you like to know?
Discover hotels in Styal Rd, Styal, Wilmslow SK9 4HP
Searching for hotels...
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
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!
Beautiful gardens and a very interesting museum. There are tours and guides. You need some good footwear as there are a few steep hills, there is a small bus that can help out. Lovely shoe and two places to eat, or you can take a picnic. When you walk around the museums it brings home the terrible conditions that people had to work in, also there is lots of information about the family who owned the mill, they were traders in slavery which gives all pause for thought. Very interesting day. On a brighter note check out the gift shop some lovely items .
5 stars + a few. My grandson is studying engineering at University. His enthusiasm was picked up on & we got full tour & explanation on steam engines & mill operations. Absolutely 1st class !!!
Beautiful grounds & gardens, and fascinating information and perspective on the somewhat grim history. Visit the living quarters of child labourers in a guided tour, the mill with still -working, noisy old machinery, and the owner's house - to see "how the other half lived", in comfort and luxury. Very educational. Maybe the tour should include just a tad more acknowledgement of the unfairness of how girls/women were treated (less space in dormitory, half the pay) to contextualize this, for the sake of the girls listening. There were some lively girls in the audience of our tour and I was very aware of the impact on them and how they tried to make sense of this.
We visited Thursday morning it wasn't too busy, first we got on the tour for the apprentice house. The guide was in a period costume and she was very knowledgeable, the information was great and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Then we made for the cafe/restaurant for a cup of tea followed by a visit to the shop and book shop. Moving on to the mill itself, we were surprised to see the looms and machinery working, the guides fully explained how the machines worked. We then walked down to the village, unfortunately we had not pre booked the workers house so could not see around . I felt that some information before the quite long walk would have assisted us perhaps a sign on the first gate near the visitor centre would be appropriate. However we had a lovely 3 hours looking around, there is a good area for children, it really does take you back in time and how hard life was for the children who had to work in the mill.
