The National Trust is a much loved friend to those who like to visit stately homes, industrial sites and the UK’s heritage. I had been to Styal Mill many years before when I lived in Altrincham. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a converted (and cold) woolen mill in Wales that I like industrial buildings, especially mills.
At £20 entrance fee and with God knows how long kicking my heels in the UK, I decided to take the plunge and pay £7 a month for membership. I would surely get my money’s worth.
I was staying near Northwich and in that area there are a handful of National Trust sites within an hour’s drive. But the jewel in the crown for me is always Styal Mill (aka Quarry Bank Mill). What a beauty and it has fully working looms. It was the end of the day and the volunteer who was waiting to demonstrate the loom kindly asked if I wanted to see it working (I didn’t)
I had started with a guided tour of the apprentices’ house – something that was free since I had 5 minutes earlier taken out my membership. In the past I had been too tight to pay for a guided tour so I was already benefiting from my investment. Those apprentices had a pretty rough life – not much fun to be had. Even on Sunday’s there was no rest – three sessions in church!
I had not appreciated before, that the village surrounding the mill which was built for the workers is still a fully functioning village with only one house retained as it was, to show visitors. The school there was full of actual 21st century screaming children.
I was on a roll – I had my membership and determined to get the most out of it, I next went to Dunham Massey stately home near Altrincham. This was unbelievably well kept. Apparently, according to the volunteer guides, the place was too expensive to run and was given to the nation just as WWII was about the start.
You could really see the way people lived with servants and the difference between the living quarters of the haves and the have nots. I cannot imagine how they could have heated it in the winter. It was cold and this was the spring.
The deer park was extensive and, as promised in the title, was full of deer, some of which were tame enough to approach visitors. Of course I had come right towards the end of the day again and so I was pretty much the last person to leave the house. I got slightly lost, couldn’t find the exit and had to be shepherded out by some helpful volunteers who pointed out that I should have followed the prescribed route through the house!
I comforted myself with a cup of coffee and a National Trust scone with jam and clotted cream and promised myself to come back and do the place justice another time when it was warmer, less rainy, when I had more time to take it all in concentrate on going the right way through the house.
I am going to take advantage of my NT membership by going to Stonehenge next – update coming soon.
