As spring is in full swing and summer just around the corner, it’s a perfect time to resume our series of Pretty Places to visit around the UK. If you’re looking for an outdoor day packed with heritage attractions and bucolic charm, the pretty village of Style in Cheshire could be just the ticket. From its acres of paddocks to its thatched cottages, here’s a look at some of the best points of interest should you wish to visit Styal:
Located on the periphery of Greater Manchester, the village of Styal sprung up in the 1820s to house the growing number of workers from the nearby cotton and textiles factory; Quarry Bank Mill. The mill owner, Irish industrialist Samuel Greg, had a model village built on the mill estate including workers cottages, a unitarian church, and an apprentice house, all in walking distance to the cotton mill.
Today, the model village belongs to the National Trust along with the historic Quarry Bank Mill – “the most complete and least altered factory colony of the Industrial Revolution. It is of outstanding national and international importance” explained the European Route of Industrial Heritage. The period properties are set amongst acres of paddocks, lush mature trees and shrubbery, established allotments and flower gardens and original cobblestone pathways, unchanged in over two hundred years. Though the estate is open to the public, with a small museum and tours of a preserved workers cottage, the homes are privately rented and lived in, ensuring the model village continues to function as a living community. The Village Hub is the centre of village life while Norcliffe Chapel continues to host worshippers, christenings and weddings and the various homes dotted around the estate are routinely rethatched.
Outside of the village estate is the rest of Styal with its quaint pubs, pretty private homes, independent shops, parks and train station, evolving over the years to reach the town of Wilmslow, and just a stone’s throw from Manchester International Airport. Styal is the perfect spot to escape the hubbub and relax or picnic amongst a wealth of bucolic and historic charm. If you’re looking for more activity, the mill has a host of sights, tours and events to entertain or educate including a fully functioning cotton mill, the handsome Quarry Bank House where the Gregs lived, as well as cafes, gift shops and over 400 acres of woodlands and streams – a great place for dog walking.
Find out more about Quarry Bank Mill or Styal village on the National Trust’s website here. You can see other Pretty Places across the UK in previous posts here, including nearby Cheshire villages such as Prestbury or Knutsford.
images: scene therapy