The visible evidence I observed and obtained contained various sources to suggest horsepower was present a Styal Mill.During my tour around Quarry Bank Mill there was various indications to suggest horsepower was present at the Mill. The first evidence I saw was what I believed to be Stables, but due to renovation some vital evidence of the building may have been lost in an attempt to build an information area for visitors to Quarry Bank Mill.Some features such as the hay eyes and the big doors are still original features of the building today. The hay eyes would have been used to feed the horses and the large doors would have provided an entrance for a horse to bring a cart in containing materials.
The courtyard was cobbled this presented clear evidence that horses were present at Styal Mill, without cobbles the horses wouldn't have been able to grip. Horses would have been used to transport materials and possibly provide energy for the Mill through the use of a horse gin. A horse gin was a device that used a horse to create power as it walked in a rotary motion it moved a turntable, which in turn would have created power. However in my opinion the possible horse gin I saw was in fact a gasometre because with closer examination is was evident that a horse gin would have been too far from the main body of the Mill to transfer the energy.
Also I could see no obvious entrance or exit for a horse to gain access to the horse gin.Gasometres were a liability as they could begin an outburst of fire across the Mill therefore it would have made sense to place a gasometre in this position as it would not have caused a spread of fire across the main body of the Mill. Furthermore with what I believed to be a fire pond above as it had no other real purpose it seemed more likely to suggest it was a gasometre.Additionally Styal Mill is situated right next to the river Bollin, therefore it would seem practical and sensible to use waterpower as a primary source of energy as it was free and created more energy than horsepower.
This suggests that horsepower was not a primary source of energy at Quarry Bank Mill.WaterpowerThere is strong evidence to support waterpower being used as a source of energy for the Mill. Quarry Bank Mill was built directly next to the river Bollin, which indicates that the greatest reason for doing this would be to harness its energy.On further exploration of the Mills surroundings a number of things can be seen to support waterpower being used at one point. One thing that can be seen close to the Mill is the possible headrace. I believe that it is a headrace due to its brick sides, narrow size, in-built sluice gates and its origin of a possible mill pond.
Sluice gates were used to control the flow of water and it's reasonable to believe that they had two in case of one breaking. I know that the pond connected to the head race is a mill pond, not only because of its connection with the headrace but also with what appears to be a weir by a short channel. At the time of research the Mill pond had silted up and it's possible that the original owners of the Mill also encountered this problem and may have been encouraged to look for new ways of powering the Mill.The weirs job was to direct water into the Mill pond, but the channel connecting the two is no longer functional. On further inspection of the outside of the mill two tailraces are also visible.
The job of the tailrace was to allow the water flowing off of a water wheel to slow down and to flow back into the river. One of the tailraces is dated with 1810 above it. This could be for a number of reasons. It is possible that it has been reinforced to cope with the vibrations after a new engine room had been installed or possibly the extra stress of the building being extended and having to take more weight. Another possible explanation for this date is that a new water wheel was installed. The date 1810 could signify this and the tailrace could have been reinforced to cope with the higher flow of water passing through it.
When exploring the inside of the Mill more evidence for waterpower becomes visible. Two possible disused water wheel pits are visible with one leading straight to a tailrace. They both have the characteristics of water wheel pits with curved bottoms but the one leading to the tailrace is much more an obvious wheel pit. It is hard to say for the other one as it could in fact have been used for something else such as to house an axel.Finally, what could be considered the strongest piece of evidence to support waterpower being used at the mill is the working water wheel, which can be seen. The Mill has obviously been built to house the water wheel and almost certainly proves that waterpower has been used at the mill.
Linking to the water wheel, two disused wheel axels can be seen on the site of Quarry Bank Mill. One of these is at the base of the Mill which is likely to have once been used in the Mill itself and one at the top of the hill. It is hard to say whether the one at the top of the hill was used at Styal or came from another Mill as we cannot say with confidence what the logistics of placing the axel there involved.From all of this evidence I can say quite confidently that waterpower was once used to power the mill.
I still cannot be completely sure though as unforeseen circumstances or advances in technology may have meant that the system built around the mill was never used. This seems unlikely though as waterpower would have been one of the best and most reliable sources of power at the time.Steam PowerThere is some evidence at Quarry Bank Mill that would suggest that steam power was once used to power the Mill. On examining visible evidence on the outside of the Styal Mill it is evident that a chimney has been used in conjunction with a boiler.
We can see that this chimney has been built in front of windows, which would indicate that it was not built when the Mill was first erected and is an addition.Furthermore at the Mill there is what appears to be a coal store. One half of it is very worn and looks very old with the date 1880, it would be sensible to say that this was built when the chimney was built. However there also looks to be an extension to the coal store, which looks a lot newer and has the date of 1997 on it. The reason for extending the coal store could have been because a larger boiler or a new engine was installed meaning the demand for coal increased.
When researching inside of the Styal Mill more evidence is revealed. A horizontal steam engine can be found, which was one of the latest steam engines to be developed. What can also be seen throughout are grooves in the floor which the engine does not match in places, indicating that it is not the original.Another engine can also be viewed however is it a beam engine. The beam engine was the first type of steam engine to be developed and the owners of the mill would have replaced their engine as advances in technology were made.
Due to this I do not believe that this beam engine was originally from Styal Mill and has been put in for museum purposes.Near the two steam engines is a large boiler with the date 1880 I believe this was original because it would have matched the horizontal engine at the time. I believe there is sufficient evidence to say that steam power was used to power the mill but it was not the initial source of power when the Mill opened.GasAfter viewing the Mill some evidence became apparent that suggested gas power was used at one time.The circular structure that was thought to possibly be a horse gin is more likely to be a gasometer.
Gas would have been stored here at a safe distance from the mill, in case of some form of accident. The possible gasometer is located at the bottom of a hill, and when exploring the outer reaches of the Styal Mills land I found a small man-made pond at the top of the hill. It is likely that this pond would have been used as a fire pond to combat any accidents that could have occurred in the gasometer's lifetime.Next to the circular structure is a long stable like building, it is possible that this building was used to control the gas.Another piece of evidence that supports the use of gas around the mill is the fact that there are gaslights, these would not have been installed without the intention of using them, and so we can assume that there was a gas system installed in and around the building.
The only evidence we have to support gas power actually being used to power the mills machinery is in the form of a gas turbine engine. This does not however provide sufficient evidence as we cannot see it in its working environment and it does not appear to be installed. It is more likely that it was brought to the mill to be used as an exhibit for demonstrating forms of power more advanced than the steam engine.Although there are many facilities, which would suggest horses to be present at Quarry Bank Mill I believe it is unlikely that they were used to power the Mill.Styal Mill seems to be built with the intention of using water as a source of power.
Evidence that I have gathered indicates to me that only waterpower and steam power were used at Quarry Bank Mill with waterpower preceding steam. Documented evidence will assist me to find out the sources of power which were used, and the dates in which they were brought in.Questions that I would ask* How did power develop at Quarry Bank Mill?* Were horses used to power at the Mill?* How many different water wheels were there at Styal Mill?* Was the circular structure a horse gin or gasometer?* Was gas ever used to power the Mill?Other evidenceI have numerous types of other evidence that tells me about power at Quarry Bank Mill.For example I have a document named "Motive Power at Styal Mill". This is an extract from a book called "Water Power" by N Nixon and J Hill, which was published by the Quarry Bank Mill trust. As it is published by the trust it is quite likely that this is reliable information as the authors will have had special access to personal documents such as bills of sale and Gregg's personal family documents.
Furthermore this to me indicates that the publication is authentic.This document explains how Samuel Gregg founded the Mill next to the river Bollin because it was "a natural choice of site". It goes on to explain how "it had a good fall of water" and "a large volume if water". This overall shows that Styal Mill was made specifically for waterpower originally.
Further evidence of this is how it explains that the Mill had an overshot wheel. This was a main feature of waterpower systems.A map done by an ordinance survey provides evidence, this means that the map is done by the government therefore it will be an accurate and reliable document. The map states that there is a gasometer and a weir in the vicinity of the Mill.
This tells me that the earlier debate of whether the circular pit is a horse gin or gasometer is now concluded due to the gasometer being stated on the map. This also tells me that it is a lot less likely that horsepower was used. Overall there is clear evidence on the use of gas; however, I still believe it is unlikely that gas was used for anything else other than powering lights.The map also identifies the weir.
This backs up previous visible evidence on the Mill having a weir and using it. Although the map is fairly reliable, it isn't very precise. For example the boundaries are quite vague and this could hamper how precise the information is.As well as that, I have a document, which states the progression in the Mills construction course. For example it states in 1784 the Mill was built with one single wheel and one tailrace. This shows that the Mill was built for waterpower.
Also, it shows the progression of an extra wheel but also the addition of steam backup and a chimney. This tells me that in 1800, they began to use steam, which is also the second power source in Quarry Bank Mill's history.This document is very reliable because the Gregg family has passed it down. Along with these documents, I also have one, which is a power summary of the Mill.
This document is again reliable due to the fact that it is likely to have been passed down the Gregg family.The document is mainly explained in three sections. The first phase, second phase and third phase. The first phase is the basic Mill, which it first started.
This included a water wheel and a long headrace. This tells me that the Mill was made specifically for waterpower and that it was the first source of power used. The date stated for this phase was 1784.The second phase however, is when steam power was introduced to the mill. This document states, " The 10hp engine of 1810 was placed with its boiler and machinery".
This line gives us a date where steam power was first used. As well as that, the document also states that Peter Ewart installed an additional wheel in 1796 and a weir gave water an extra 5m-drop, therefore a short headrace. Overall this section emphasises the increase in demand for power at the Mill and obviously the success that it is gaining. We can also now have a date as to when steam was introduced. The document goes on to explain the addition of a great iron wheel in 1818/20 and an extra beam engine.
This new wheel was an extra 90hp compared to the original wheel so therefore this tells us that the mill has developed greatly and is producing a lot more in the 19th century. Also, the extra beam engine shows that steam power is becoming more popular.However, the transition from water to steam wasn't as smooth as first thought. For example it states "steam power at Quarry bank Mill in the 19th century came in fits and starts". This shows that they may have had some difficulties in the development of power at the mill. As well as that, I have a plan of Quarry bank Mill from a file dated 1855.
The main focus on this is the building development. For example, such wording as "Old mill" and "New boiler" shows us that different sections of the buildings were built at different times. In other words, if it states" new" then it is likely to have been built around 1855 (the time the document was written).On the other hand, this isn't as specific as the other due to the lack of dates on the plan.
This makes it a bit vague and therefore less reliable.Finally the sixth document that I am looking at is a leaflet titled 'The Development of Power'. Styal Mill published this leaflet in 1996 and all the information contained in it are from the archives in the Manchester Reference Library. Because the leaflet was published in 1996 I have to question the reliability of it, as the information is from archives though I will trust it and see what I can infer from it.
The leaflet confirms what the other documents have said saying that water power was introduced into the Mill in 1784, the leaflet says the second water wheel was installed in 1801 and that steam power was first brought in with a first engine in the year 1810. So this document also confirms that the first power source at the mill was indeed waterpower.
