Archaeology at Quarry Bank Mill

Eleanor Underhill

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"My name's Eleanor, I'm the General Manager for Quarry Bank Mill and the Styal Estate. This place is really special because it overflows with the atmosphere of the Industrial Revolution. It's an atmospheric eighteenth century working Georgian cotton mill, with its Victorian Apprentice House, newly opened nineteenth century garden, mill workers' village, and a beautiful riverside and woodland estate.

It's a fascinating glimpse of the past, a chance to see and experience what life was like back in the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. For everyone here at Quarry Bank Mill and Styal, our job is to help our visitors understand how people lived back then, studying how they worked, played and got on together. It's about bringing history to life, and making it relevant, interesting and enjoyable. That's why we have things like guided tours and live spinning and weaving demonstrations, giving visitors a real insight into Mill life.

And as the Mill's on a 400-acre estate, you're looking at a big challenge. And one that's going to keep getting bigger. Going forwards, we want to continue our important education work. We've also got some really exciting projects happening, like one to harness hydroelectric power. That's what makes it so exciting. As Conservation Services Manager, you'll be working with everyone from archaeologists to the Environment Agency, curators to conservation specialists. And you'll have to bring them all together, and get the best out of all of them.

So, you'll need to be a team worker, a facilitator, a listener, a brilliant project manager. And, of course, a champion for our conservation work."