A mill, wild deer and Jane Austen in Cheshire

Morning
Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate – the only Georgian working water-powered cotton mill still in action in this country, still spins and weaves cotton to be sold in the mill shop. The mill includes demonstrations of the development of the textile industry from hand spinning to noisy weaving factories, and contains the most powerful working waterwheel in Europe as well as one of the earliest steam-powered beam engines. At the nearby Apprentice House, with its historic organic garden, you can discover what 'home life' was like for the pauper children.

The estate of riverside, farmland and woodland walks in the valley of the River Bollin provides a picturesque contrast to the throb of machinery and other industrial heritage sights. Guided walks of the woodlands and village are every second Sunday of the month at 2pm.

The mill incorporates an adventure playground for children. Goods made from cloth woven here and a range of souvenirs and gifts can be bought in the mill shop.

Lunch?
Stay for lunch in the mill's restaurant or head over to Dunham Massey near Altrincham (30 mins drive) for lunch in the restaurant there.

Afternoon
Dunham Massey is an early Georgian house, extensively reworked in the early 20th century. The result is one of Britain’s most sumptuous Edwardian interiors, housing exceptional collections of 18th-century walnut furniture, paintings and Huguenot silver.

Dunham is also the location for one of the North West’s great plantsman’s gardens with richly planted borders and majestic trees, as well as an orangery. The ancient deer park contains a herd of these beautiful and graceful animals, as well as a working Elizabethan sawmill.

Extra day?
If you are staying in the region for longer, take a trip to Lyme Park near Stockport – Lyme appeared as ‘Pemberley’ in the BBC’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride & Prejudice’. Originally a Tudor house, Lyme was transformed into an Italianate palace by the Venetian architect, Leoni. The state rooms are adorned with Mortlake tapestries, Grinling Gibbons wood-carvings and an important collection of English clocks.

©NTPL/ Nick Meers

The 17-acre Victorian garden is surrounded by a medieval deer park of moorland, woodland and parkland containing an early 18th-century hunting tower, ‘The Cage’ which is now open to the public, and has stunning views across the Cheshire plain to the Welsh hills.

When can you go?
Before visiting a property, we strongly advise that you check its opening times, as properties open on different days and at different times. This information is detailed on the individual property pages, which you can search for by finding a place to visit.

• Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate
• Dunham Massey
• Lyme Park