Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate comprises four distinct elements, all once belonging to the Greg family who founded the Mill and gave the land to the National Trust: The Georgian water-powered cotton mill still spins and weaves cotton to be sold in the shop. Visitors should allow at least 1½ hours to visit the Mill, where they can experience hands-on displays and living history demonstrations of the development of the textile industry, from hand spinning to noisy factory weaving. Here the most powerful working waterwheel in Europe and one of the earliest steam-powered beam engines can be seen. In the Apprentice House, with its organic garden, you can see and hear how pauper children were boarded whilst they were indentured to the Mill. Guided tours take about 45 mins. The colony village of Styal, which housed many of the workers in idyllic rural surroundings, provides a view of allotments, school and chapels. The Estate of riverside, farmland and woodland walks in the valley of the River Bollin, planted by the Gregs, provides a delightful contrast to the throb of machinery and signs of industry.. What’s new in 2004: Turbine generating electricity