Built in 1784 by Samuel Greg, Quarry Bank was one of the world’s first factories and became a thriving cotton mill, complete with workers’ village, child apprentices’ accommodation, owner’s house, pleasure grounds and gardens. Fundamentally unchanged from this period and overflowing with the atmosphere of the Industrial Revolution, Quarry Bank stands as a monumental reminder of our powerful industrial past and of the people who lived and worked here.
In 1939 Alec Greg bequeathed Quarry Bank to the National Trust but this gift excluded some significant parts of the estate. In 2006, the National Trust acquired Quarry Bank House and garden. Four years later we acquired the glasshouse and upper garden. These purchases provided us with the missing links. Quarry Bank is currently in year 3 of a major project. This offers a unique opportunity to transform Quarry Bank from a series of component parts to one cohesive story; of a self-sufficient community established during the early Industrial Revolution; of mill owners and workers; adults and children; industry and ingenuity; landscape and agriculture; labour and leisure.