Styal Homes

Styal Homes

Styal Homes, Lancashire

In 1895 the Chorlton Union purchased a 190 acre estate in Styal, Cheshire. Here they built cottage homes for children in care.

There were about 27 cottages including a couple of nurseries each housing between 13 and 28 children. The estate also included a senior school for more than 350 children, workshops, a laundry, a 16 bed hospital, a church, a swimming baths and the remaining 140 acres was farmed.

The children did not wear uniforms and therefore could mix with other village children without being noticed. That covers the period up to about 1908.Styal Cottage Homes continued to operate until the 60's, after this it was used to house women prisoners.

I think that the cottages are now owned by the NT and they are much sort after residences. They are well worth a visit, especially as they are very near to Quarry Bank Mill, also owned by the NT

Source:
Submitted by Ged

The former cottage homes are what is now Styal Womens' Prison. The Cottage Homes was set up by the Chorlton Board of Guardians and was never connected with Quarry Bank Mill. The cottages on Styal Estate which is owned by the NT were built or converted to house the workers at Quarry Bank Mill, none of them were ever part of the Cottage Homes.

We don't hold any archives relating to the Cottage Homes here at the Mill, I believe that the archives are held by the Department of Social Services at Manchester Town Hall. (you might like to check on this). If you do wish to retain any historical information about the Mill on your site, it was built in 1784 by Samuel Greg as a first generation
waterpowered cotton spinning mill. Alexander Carlton Greg donated the Mill and Styal Estate to the NT in 1939, although QBM continued to operate as a working mill until 1959. An Independent Trust founded a museum at QBM in 1976, with control of that museum passing to the NT in 2000.

You might also like to mention that the Cottage Homes had their own school separate from Styal Village School. The Cottage Homes School later became Bollin Cross School which I believe was demolished some time in the 1960s.

Regards,
Carrie Hill
Documentation Officer
Quarry Bank Mill
Styal
Wilmslow.
Cheshire.
SK9 4LA

Page updated August 06, 2007