Styal Mill, now a museum of the cotton industry.

The mill is one of the best preserved textile mills of the Industrial Revolution and is now a museum of the cotton industry. It is a Grade II* listed building.

The mill was founded by Samuel Greg in 1784 in the village of Styal on the River Bollin. Its original iron water wheel was designed by Thomas Hewes and built between 1816 and 1820.

The Hewes wheel finally broke in 1904. After that the River Bollin continued to power the mill, through two water turbines. Today the Mill is home to the most powerful working waterwheel in Europe, an ironwater wheel which was originally at Glasshouses Mill at Patley Bridge. This wheel was designed by Sir William Fairbairn, the Scottish engineer who had been an apprentice of Thomas Hewes.

Visit the National Trust website for further information.