Explore the archive of Quarry Bank

We have a secret at Quarry Bank… Behind the Mill, the beating heart of Quarry Bank, lies a room which is hidden from view but which holds the key to everything you see and do here.

Through an unassuming door you'll find, amongst other things, pieces of a miniature railway, swords and axes, fancy-dress costumes, and a maypole which is over a hundred years old.

An unusual collection

These may sound like odd objects to have at a mill but when a family and their workers have occupied a place for over 200 years, they collect quite a variety of things. You may have guessed by now that the room in question is part of our archive and collection store. 

We hold a staggering 100 linear metres of business papers, the private papers of five generations of the Greg family (1600s onwards); and records for almost every man, woman and child who ever worked here. 

On top of this there are significant collections of photographs, maps and plans, and oral histories. That's astounding… there's nothing like it in the world.

Discover more

The Collection and Archive inform all the stories you explore here at Quarry Bank, and there's much more still to be uncovered. 

We're in the process of cataloguing the archive and will begin capturing digital images of everything in the collection and archive, a process called digitisation. This will allow us to both discover new stories, and give you better access to see our items through the National Trust collections website.

So far the Collections and Archive team, which includes a number of volunteers, have catalogued over 5,000 items and have thousands more to go.

The Quarry Bank Project is allowing us to carry out this work and over the next few years, you'll be able to access more of our collection, both online and in person, as we digitise the collection and develop an open store for visitors to view. 

Thank you - without your support this wouldn't be possible.