Contrasting Lifestyles - Part Two

Quarry Bank House which stands at the side of the mill,  opened for the first time to visitors last week.  We saw it on the second day of opening which was a real treat.  I'd been watching out for when both 13 Oak Cottages and Quarry Bank House would be open so we could visit both at the same time.

I'd often looked at the house as we walked from the mill up into the garden and wondered what it was like inside.  I think it was owned privately until fairly recently when the National Trust were finally able to take it over.  I've just realised that with not going into the Mill itself this time and also with it pouring with rain we didn't take the usual path around the mill into the gardens and therefore I didn't take a photo of the house as a whole.  You can see what it looks like - here

 What impressed me most inside was the symmetry of the design, everything curving with no harsh edges.

In the entrance hall the doors to the rooms of were curved as you can see from the photographs below.

It was light and airy and the softness of the curves felt very soothing and peaceful.

At the moment the house is sparsely furnished which adds to the rather minimalist elegance of the rooms.  It is all very tasteful and very much a Georgian rather than Victorian home.

On the left as you enter is Samuel Greg's office and study, right next to the mill so he could look out over it.  Samuel and Hannah Greg lived in Manchester but spent holidays with their young children at a farm near the mill and Hannah in particular wanted to leave Manchester and live nearby so Samuel began the building of the house near the mill in the neo-classical style.

The first part of the house was completed by the 1800s and in 1803 Samuel had more rooms added to the smaller house.  At the moment there are only the three rooms open to view but they are rather splendid ones.

The volunteer we spoke to said that it had been intended to open the upstairs rooms but the staircase proved to be difficult.  It is a wooden, cantilevered staircase and it was found that even with just a few people going up and down each day cracks had appeared in the structure so it was decided not to allow people upstairs at the moment and as the house is listed a lift couldn't be installed either.

There is a wonderful curved bay window in the dining room overlooking the gardens.

As you can see it was very wet outside!

The drawing room too is light and elegant.  Here Hannah Greg ruled.  According to the volunteer we spoke to Mrs Greg, who was a great believer in education for all and who made sure her daughters were as well educated as her sons set up a literary and philosophical society for her children and as part of this each child had to write and submit a paper which was placed in a box and one chosen at random which would be read and discussed.

Apparently there was a service wing added in 1814 to house servants and also the nursery for all the children of which I think we were told there were thirteen.  This part of the house doesn't exist anymore as it was demolished in 1963.  Still in the cellar of the main house, although again not available to view at the moment, are the kitchens, laundry and other service rooms.

I hope you have enjoyed just a little peep into both  newly opened houses.  I think we will go back again next Spring to see how things have progressed.  I have put links over the names of both Hannah and Samuel Greg above so you can find out more about them.  Hannah in particular is very interesting to read about.