Quarry Bank Mill Learning Journey
Follow the Learning Journey steps into the world of The Quarry Bank Mill community, and discover a microcosm of life in the cotton factory system.
Click on the steps below to explore.
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Quarry Bank Mill Learning Journey Step 6: Styal Village Life
Before the Mill was built, Styal was an isolated rural hamlet of farmsteads and outbuildings. The early workforce were housed in converted outbuildings such as the Dutch barn at Farm Fold, but this supply was quickly exhausted. In 1806, a programme of house building commenced for the expanding workforce. The new housing consisted of short rows of two storey terraces with their own back yards and privies, separated from the next row by a passageway. All had cellars, many of which being separately accessible from outside. There were also a small number of three storey houses. Each cottage had its own allotment. Rents were deducted from salaries at source (as were shop purchases). Housing was of a good quality, with good ventilation and drainage. The numbers living in a household in Styal were often smaller than those living in a single room in a Northern industrial town. By the 1820's, a chapel, school and shop had been built as the village developed into a community. Some of the earliest millworkers had settled in the village and had children who also worked at the Mill. Conditions were undoubtedly better than was the norm at the time, with fresher and more varied produce adding to the healthier environment. GG |
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