The remains of Samuel Oldknow's Mellor Mill

[@Hayabusalightspeed]

We used to play in those tunnels as kids, late 70's early 80's. Waterloo was our favourite. The end of it was backfilled (as In the video) back then , we used to go down the small tunnel to the right (first half carved through the bed rock, 2nd half man made using stone. Once in the shaft we would hitch our way up using the sides of the shaft/Well and you would exit with a stream at eye level. Great times. They've really exposed a lot since those days and no steel gates to prevent you from exploring!

[@MartinZero]

Wow ! So you was there before me David 👍

[@darreno9874]

This mill was one of the most interesting you've done and for a demolished building there is an incredible amount still standing. Keep up the good work. God bless

[@MartinZero]

Yeah I thought the same, to say the main part has gone, scratch below the surface

[@timofthomas]

@@MartinZero I looked up the egg shaped sewers, they were developed in Manchester to prevent blockages. Date for main sewers is a little later but no reason they could not be experimented with on a smaller scale locally first. May be worth flagging to the people excavating the site?

[@leemorris3805]

Martin!! Watching from my hospital bed...with my headphones on...its almost like I was transported up to Mellor Mill and was inside the tunnels with you. Sounds amazing !! I think this one will go down as one of the Martin Zero classics...rivers, mills, water wheels, tunnels, cool music....brew and biscuits...😂 . A great way to have my mind taken off my current situation for a while and spend some time with my mates in the mud😁 all the best and keep doing what you do!! Its fun , educational and fascinating. Lee from Wiltshire , UK...(but still a Manchunian at heart)

[@caddycommercials8570]

Get better soon bud 🇮🇪

[@mordanthamster2753]

Definitely a MZ classic!

[@markmunro8753]

Thank you Martin. You and James are my time machine.😊😊😊

[@davidmunro1469]

The man that taught me carpet installing was George Tipping from Manchester. His mother worked in one of those cotton mills. This is a small world. She spent her last years in Wales in that town with the longest name Thanks man.

[@peterbrameld696]

You managed to create a living story out of a few stones and tunnels well done! Thank you.

[@Jack-xi8ji]

Martin turns up on site, switches the camera on, and utters the immortal words, 'I don't know what that is.' Absolute classic. Yet another great video. Thank you.

[@steamsearcher]

Cherry Bakewells and COOP ones at that. Got a pack for friends on the 6th which was my 63rd Birthday. Loved your explor of the mill and tunnels. Went to the upper Goyt 69 70 when they began minibuses in the area, A lovely time for all getting us out of the towns. Petrol at 30 p a gallon... Them were the days. David and Lily.

[@ccjelley2390]

Five-a-day entirely with glace cherries. Gotta love that line. [yes, they're delicious, esp Co-op ones]

[@_wood]

Great documentary Martin. My family came from Marple Bridge, Low Lea Road (modern spelling), Lee cottage which is close to the Mellor Mill site. Lee cottage was originally built for Samuel Oldknow and I believe his fiancée. It later became the property of the Arkwright family and was split into two cottages and rented to two local families My paternal grandfather bought Lee cottage from Captain Richard Arkwright in 1925 for about £500. Lee Farm cottage was then the home of the Hudson family. Oldknow housed his apprentices in a cottage in Marple Bridge known locally as the orphans house.

[@vespasian606]

Fascinating insights.

[@Steve_Wardley_G6JEF]

When my mother was alive and at 19 years old, she used to work in a cotton mill when she lived in Salford. She used to tell me about the conditions of work in the mills and that was 150 odd years later and they were poor then. I'd love to find out where the mill was where she worked but it will be long gone now. Great video guy's and so informative as ever.

[@rjmun580]

If you know where she lived (marriage certificate will give her address) then look on the old map website (National Libraries of Scotland) and find the nearest mills. She probably worked at different places but people generally didn't travel far from home in that sort of job.

[@suzantonn1188]

Fascinating . . . it's hard to imagine all the engineering and back breaking labor it took for the miners and stoneworkers to build the infrastructure and carve out all those tunnels that STILL REMAIN! It's hard to comprehend the toll the industrial age took on those who made it happen. I truly respect the laborers left with broken bodies and the many women and child mill workers who suffered and met an early death.

[@vespasian606]

The harshness of their existence is often forgotten.

[@Qugar666]

Every time I talk to friends about how much joy KZbin gives me, instead of cable tv, your channel is always being mentioned as my favorite, and one of the Wain reason why KZbin, for me, is so rewarding. Thanks to you and everyone else involved. 🤗🤗

[@MartinZero]

Thank you, much appreciated

[@jetsons101]

Martin, fantastic teamwork, top notch. Just thinking here: how much power was loss thru the friction of the all the various gears, belts, vertical and horizontal driveshaft bearings, then add the power loss from each spinning machine internal friction and one water wheel still had power left over to do the work, amazing the power of falling water..... Thanks for the cross section view of the mill and water wheel, it really helped tell the story. The infrastructure it took to power the mill is quite involved. Thank you for all you do for us the viewers.....

[@sanddingaringastinga9196]

The exit tunnel from the Waterloo wheel goes under the river goyt and into the opposite hill side, it exits further down stream near Marple bridge where the rock is harder, there are a few inspection tunnels along the hill side you can see ( near the garden house ). Good video I spent lots of time down hear before they excavated the ruins. There was apparently a tunnel from the apprentice house to the mill, and from his house to the mill :)

[@mkendallpk4321]

Martin, I continue to be amazed how you take the viewer(s) from one point of interest to another with such skill. Thank you for another great video! I do have one question. Will James ever remember to bring a spoon? 😂

[@MartinZero]

Only a very few truly know the mind of James 😄

[@ccjelley2390]

@@MartinZero James is a good egg. [a Cadbury's creme one in this amazing edition] I love his humour.

[@rustyrover3808]

From memory Oldknow was a silk merchant in Manchester before building the mill, I watched them excavate the mill several years ago and it was amazing to watch it come alive again. I believe he had an interest in the peak forest canal to move his goods to Manchester, he was a fighter but I think Arkwright was a very shrewd man ! Thanks for the video top notch as usual 👍

[@rachelmiller764]

I was the archaeogical officer for the Mellor Mill excavations. It was funded by the HLF in a joint project with Canal & River Trust, which included the aquaduct

[@MartinZero]

Thanks Rachel for your work at the site. fascinating place

[@bobingram6912]

As you say - WOW!!!!! All those tunnels each one a different construction, cracking explore👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Will someone tie a teaspoon to James!!! Well done Roy the Fearless!!!!

[@anneforster510]

A gem of an episode Martin. So many tunnels ..so little time to get through them all. This site and your exploration of it shows how industrious our forebears were. It must have been an incredible sight to see those waterwheels in action let alone the machinery in the Mill. Thanks for bringing it to life guys.👌👍

[@normanyates6735]

Another facinating relic from the early industrial revolution in our area, the cradle of modern industry, those trips up those tunnels scare me for your safety. Once again the personality of James Is gaining prominence, a biography will soon be required for the newest you tube star!.

[@BrianRS1968]

The length of the history of the UK is amazing; sitting here in Canada(1867). You show a notice from 1797. Thanks for your efforts Martin.

[@peterduffield221]

Fantastic find , really enjoyed that , amazing how you get so much in about the place , i have visited the place myself but never knew there was so much i had not seen thanks once again you are a great team

[@malcbury9739]

Yet another great video. I don't want to take anything away from 'Time Team' but their programmes look at what 'might have been' using geo-phys and the like. Yes, they are very interesting and informative, but your videos are more relatable because they deal with structures that have left a visible footprint (like foundations, tunnels and the like) and are of more recent industrial heritage which a lot of us can relate to. Plus I love the banter with your 'team' of like minded 'explorers'. Thanks to you, had a good day out at 'Nob End' and this is another to add to my list. Keep up the good work.

[@vsvnrg3263]

malc bury, time team wouldnt crawl up tunnels. the health and safety people on their team wouldnt permit it.

[@lindamccaughey6669]

Wow Martin this video has shot up to one of my faves. Some fantastic stonework there. Tunnel heaven I think. Thanks so much really enjoyed hearing about the mill. Thanks so much for taking me along. Please stay safe and take care

[@davidhowarth9366]

Your best video yet! Absolutely fascinating! Very sad how people and children were exploited ("I owe my soul to the company store") in those days by the likes of Oldknow but exploitation had not disappeared in the early 1900s. My Father and his sister were "part timers" which meant that, at the age of about 12, they went to school for half a day and worked in the mill for the other half a day alternating weekly between mornings and afternoons. I was born in Oldham but have lived most of my life in Australia, apart from a visit in 1962/63. I pride myself as being a proper Oldham lad having had two school holiday jobs in cotton mills in Oldham and Royton. At the Delta Mill in Royton, I was taken to see the engine room. The mill was, by then, powered by electricity and only a shadow of its former self. The driving wheel was gone but the wheel pit was an indicator of how big it had been and how the shafts had been driven on each floor.

[@David_Owsnett]

An excellent video Martin. Well done the lads. A sad end to an amazing building.

[@MartinZero]

Thanks David

[@stephenmillership5281]

Brilliant episode again Martin, thank you to you and the team. I first stumbled across these tunnels nearly 40 years ago on a bike ride with a mate. We always said we'd come back and explore further, we never did, no need to now, fascinating.

[@MartinZero]

That sounds like me with Standedge tunnel Stephen. Planned to go back but it took 34 years to get back 😄

[@billfunk1219]

Your journeys get more incredible! Thanks to you and your crew to bring us these wonderful videos!

[@notsohairybiker]

What a fantastic place to explore, thanks loads, this means that I don't have to get dirty and drive loads of miles, you guys do it for me every week!

[@davidmunro1469]

Thank you Martin . Your videos are pure gold . Your team reminds me of The Wind in the Willows . You are Badger. HA HA HA.

[@christophernorton33]

Big thanks, guys Incredible Video. The amount of work to construct all the tunnels & waterways is just mind-blowing.

[@MartinZero]

Quite a place to say the main bit has gone

[@oldmanhuppiedos]

Mellor Mill is certainly a special building, you rarely see it. Another great vlog, interesting piece of history.

[@robertwinsper7409]

Tunnels, mud, spiders and Cherry Bakewells. Cracking episode. Well done.

[@SteveOnTheInterweb]

Perfect timing! Kids were doing homework today about Samuel Oldknow, and we really appreciate this unique exploration into all the tunnels and waterworks of this once magnificent mill!

[@MartinZero]

Oh cool, that was handy 👍

[@brianroscoe239]

Another brilliant video Martin and the gang, I was looking forward to this video after we finished up chatting to you at the Costa coffee in Marple, when you had pre-visited the place, Let me tell everyone these guys are just as pleasant and amusing as they are on the videos, One of my favourite channels.

[@martin4787]

Fascinating once again Martin and gang. This is the reason I so look forward to your videos. I've never used the wild garlic leaves, I always use the flowers.

[@1954shadow]

What an exemplary exploration, thank you for all your efforts to chronicle this old, mill.

[@michaelclarke3031]

We used to play in the tunnels back in the 60's. Great memories.

[@ffrancrogowski2192]

I know of the village Mellor, but I never knew of this mill, Martyn. Obviously it was quite a huge place, but the amount of tunnels associated with it was truly staggering, and mostly constructed of dry stone. An excellent video with a good team and all. Many thanks.

[@MartinZero]

Thanks very much Ffranc

[@brianlever3767]

Great video i only live a couple of miles from there I never new there was so many tunnels marple is steeped in history the Lyme kilns are worth a visit Thanks for visiting Marple comeback soon enjoyed the one you did at the underbanks in Stockport as well stay safe .and Thanks again

[@mileshigh1321]

An amazing multi-faceted explore again Martin! A tremendous turmoil of tunnels!

[@Hairnicks]

That was another incredible story Martin, thank you so much.

[@68Squid]

Great way to start my Sunday! Thanks for the video Martin

[@MartinZero]

Thanks very much hop you enjoy Hairy

[@brizeys3128]

Another brilliant vid Martin. Love the way you insist on exploring the nooks and crannies lest you miss something interesting…..fantastic stuff!

[@MartinZero]

Thanks Brizey

[@mvrooks]

i always get so happy when i see the tiny microbus and the tiny martin. of course, the rest is amazing too!

[@zw5509]

Amazing video showing the determination that the pioneers of industry had! Them's Ramps! They're great! Fry 'um in butter!

[@LancashireLarks]

That’s some crew you got with you on this adventure, A lot of biscuits for James to carry haha, Great tour of this grand old mill and the tunnels.

[@hyperballadbradx6486]

Love the mystery and imagination your videos like this spark!! I yearn to see and hear and smell the original place! Looks like it was incredible! The size of the water wheels! Wow 😱

[@bridgetfinzi]

Thanks for all your work on the research, filming and editing of this film. It's opened up a whole new world for me as all I've ever done is trundle round on the surface. So glad you managed to make the film without any injuries to yourselves.

[@MartinZero]

Thank you Joss

[@MartinBrenner]

Great episode! Loved the history lesson and detailed technical explanation!

[@kohedunn]

Thank you lads , for a rivviting account of a bygone age of ingenious productivity ....I was lost in the moment of all of this historical story....So much of our history has been lost , and you, Martin and pals , bring it back in all its glory..Thank you very much ! xxxx

[@gazjones8781]

I think this explore is among one of your very best. What a fantastic site!

[@rjmun580]

That was yet another first class piece of work from the Martin team. Do you think that these were `cut and cover` tunnels as the ground appears to be shale which would be very hard to support. The egg shaped tunnel looks like a sewer with the narrow channel at the bottom to keep the water flowing fast to prevent blockages.

[@rw8074]

Hi Martin. For some time I've wanted to say: Your videos are always brilliant; you spotting & exploring tunnels & culverts & passionately plotting lost rivers etc. with friends has kept me entertained for hours. You have an excellent presenting 'stance' that makes your videos superior to any others I've found. Always warm, fun & investigative & informative too. Not many others are so engaging, thoughtful & 'viewer-considerate' as yourself. I literally feel excited for your next post, your channel is better than tv👍 Anyway... So here you point out extra tunnels @ the Waterloo wheel pit. I am guessing they souced extra water from elsewhere when available, especially the one with a side tunnel that then goes straight up at its end; I noticed the edges of a former sluice gate at its opening when you were stood up inside there. If there were so many reserves (ponds) of water perhaps they tapped into them & or any overflow water to get as much power as possible out of the waters head, for the later wheel addition. Any attempt would have been cheaper than succumbing to an exspensive steam engine, which they did in the end. Like many of your videos I'd have enjoyed exploring the areas with you (as long as James brings a spoon!)... I love Cherry Bakewell's, so no competition there haha. Many thanks again 👍

[@MartinZero]

Thanks very much for your kind words. That place and those tunnels remain quite a mystery to me to be honest

[@Designer22]

Hi Martin. Another beauty and thanks to the folks who dug all of that out. Glad you mentioned the all suffering crew this time. Was that a model or a painting of the mill and manor house. It looked like shot from a 1930s or 40s movie when they used models to show scenes like that. This industry is yet another example of why the British Empire was so mighty when you have people like these who build and engineer all of that in the 1700 to 1800s. Cheers guys keep up the good work.

[@henrylowe7969]

The model is on the top floor of Marple library. It was made by my grandfather, Tom Oldham, who was a local historian. He’d have loved to have seen all of the excavations

[@Designer22]

@@henrylowe7969 Thanks Henry. Looks like your grandfather put a lot of time and effort into it and left a view of a piece of history for future generations.

[@dieselmanmike]

Still going through your older videos and the content here for a mill was brilliant. Fascinating tunnels and waterwheels.

[@timschultz7597]

Another fascinating and well produced video. Thank you, Sir!!!

[@richardforshaw4034]

When younger and being from New Mills near Marple I used to mountain bike and walk around the Roman Lakes. An amazing and beautiful area. Another informative and amazing video. Amazing work Martin and friends.

[@shirleylynch7529]

What an incredible explore. Absolutely brilliant. Well done. Loved the end when you all in river. Out takes funny. Fabulous filming and commentary.

[@MartinZero]

Thanks Shirley

[@cecilwilson5442]

Keep these coming brilliant and such a great team 👍👍👍👍👍 from northern Ireland ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️

[@TheGreatest1974]

You are so lucky to have these old tunnels around and be able to explore them. It makes a fantastic video Martin. 👍

[@UKVampy]

Those waterwheels must have been a sight to see when they were built, absolutely huge.

[@MartinZero]

Yeah I bet they were amazing

[@elizabethannferrario7113]

hi , i was born in marple , i do believe , that oldknow was very good to his employees and did everything he could to ensure their lives were as pleasant as possible in that era , he did have a building as a living quarter’s for the children and women , and they would be travel from this building to the mill through these tunnels , we were all told as young children to keep away from these tunnels as they ran for miles. we were always told of our history .

[@vsvnrg3263]

elizabeth ann ferrario, i made my opinion on oldknow when i saw the truck money sign. if he was very good to his employees he wouldnt have forced them to pay their wages back to him through his shop. he might have been better than some other mill owners.

[@slimboyfat3306]

Thank once again Martin for taking us all along with you and providing us with yet another fantastic glimpse into our industrial history. The quality of your research combined with the high production values of your videos, not to mention your clear, engaging explanation of what you show us is above and beyond the average KZbinr. You seem to fill a gap left behind by the late, great, Fred Dibnah. A Northern Tony Robinson if there is such a thing., and they ended up giving him a knighthood. Keep it up (sir) Martin 👏👏👏

[@Dave64track]

What a brilliant video from you and the Gang. That place is amazing with all the underlying facts you told us about the place with not a stone unturned. Wow all those tunnels every where. Must have been quite a site back in the day as the old photo's showed us. You can imagine that place on fire with all the wooded floors etc just collapsing along with the roof. Then you think of all those people who was working in that mill now have no jobs to go too. Not great jobs but that's the sort of jobs people did back in the day quite sad really. Its good that it's getting preserved and people can get to see some of the remains at last. Thanks for sharing these videos and stay safe.

[@Qugar666]

What can I say... Wow you've done it again. What a remarkable place - and video. Brilliant. Cheers

[@JemTheWire]

The Mill that just keeps on giving... Great video.

[@johnhankinson1929]

we tend to forget that these people were every bit as clever as we are today, its just they didn't have the technology we have now, hats off to these people and once again Martin and the lads a great informative film ,keep it up🏅

[@martinwalker8940]

Hi Martin The big archway next to the first water wheel well was a fireplace.The moisture created by the wheel was taken by a flue in the centre of a spiral staircase to floors above via ducts in the floors to suppress fire risk.Cheers buddy-great vid👍

[@UsualmikeTelevision]

What an amazing place. Full of history and such a wondrous adventure you too us on. Well done!

[@ledzep331]

Great vid as usual Martin. You mentioned Time Team at the start of the video, I've just finished watching the second new Time Team dig. For those who are fans and didn't know, the new digs are available on YT.

[@DK640OBrianYT]

Oh yeah, Time Team, the best TV-series ever broadcasted. (With Columbo and Johnny Carson as close follow uos) Thankfully the majority of their shows, if not all of them, is now available here on KZbin in 1080p. The older ones upscaled, but with the upside being better bitrates. And they've crowdfunded new digs that's broadcasted here on KZbin on their Time Team Official channel. Martin. As usual. A pleasure.

[@Me..D.S]

I'm feeling abit 'W💙W' by this video. Thank you Martin and team. 😊

[@MartinZero]

Thanks Donna

[@ianmccaffery3896]

Your love of Tunnels is Great, I have a love for them as well, My wife says I suffer from Tunnelphanalia lol, So I’m going to say you suffer the same, Great vid Guys, loved it

[@andyhill242]

After all your wild goose chases Martin, I think you've found the one that laid the golden egg. One of the best abandoned and demolished sites you have visited. So much of the underground infrastructure survives.

[@felshampo]

Great film. Truck money was quite common among Mill owners. Titus Salt used it for one. Just another way to take advantage of the workers as the mill owners owned the shops so got the money back. People tried to use the money elsewhere but with varying success hence the saying "I'll take no truck from you!"

[@MartinZero]

Interesting never heard the term before

[@davidmarsden9800]

I did GCE O Level Economic and Social History at high school in the 1970s and truck money was covered as it was so wide spread as a means of retaining workers and extra profit for the owners, it's a form of debt bondage as you can't spend it anywhere except the company shop.. Things got so bad with it that there was an outcry and campaigns which led to the Truck Act 1831 which outlawed it. It was repealed in part by the Payment of Wages Act 1960 and finally by the Wages Act 1986. Then as now it's not good to be poor.

[@chrisbirch2595]

Hi Martin - really interesting. Up to a couple of years ago, I lived at Bottoms Hall just up the road from the Mill site. This was the Apprentice House where many of the child workers lived. In the garden there was a tunnel that allowed the children to walk to the mill without encountering unsavoury types allegedly. The tunnel is blocked after 5 or 6 m but would have been great to understand it's full route. I useful it to store fire wood!

[@MartinZero]

Oh wow very interesting Chris

[@roytabberer7427]

Another absolutely outstanding and very informative video, thank you to you & your team for doing this for us.

[@MartinZero]

Thank you Roy

[@brianartillery]

Fantastically interesting video, Martin. Really enjoyed it. Thank you! And James knowing about wild garlic (Ramsons)? Mind blown. He obviously watches Atomic Shrimp's videos.

[@robertmaitland09]

Excellent explore Martin, the stone arch work in the tunnels reminds me of the old lead mines in the north pennines.

[@australiantruckspotting8883]

Thoroughly enjoyed that one Martin 👍

[@missmerrily4830]

Another fabulous informative video and thanks to you all for making it so interesting! I was supposed to be doing chores right now, but..... this was irresistable. Great work! I could not only imagine the noise and industry of the mill but could hear it and almost see it! And that was down to your clear explanation of how things worked. You all well deserved your brew today, but James how many times are you going to forget to bring a spoon? 😄 Another 43 minutes spent learning about our fascinating industrial and social history, much of which I'd never have known without you all! 👍

[@rontanser9369]

Wow I think that was one of your best videos Martin and the crew well done guys

[@MartinZero]

Thanks Ron

[@DEAD-DROP]

Such amazing work on this! Loved the outtakes XD

[@RichieWellock]

Oh how we have gone backwards , kids working all day sounds great. 2 weeks of Easter kids holidays now. thanks Martin great history and belting video again

[@osgeld]

very interesting place, thank you for sharing it with us

[@talbertsmom7667]

This is so beautiful and amazing. So glad they have saved what they have. Thank you for taking us with you on this amazing journey. Next time send James ahead to clear out the spiders for you hehehe. Love this video. I know more history about the Manchester area than I do about where I live lol. I think my mudlarking friends were surprised I had been watching you for a couple of years and I am so glad I found you because I have learned so much from you and the history of the area and it has been wonderful. Thank you Martin

[@MartinZero]

Thanks very much. I need to do a spot of mudlarking myself

[@talbertsmom7667]

@@MartinZero Join up with one of the channels ... I would love to hear your knowledge on where they are and things... I wish I had teachers like you when I was in school lol I might have had better grades hahaha

[@MsVanorak]

Thanks. Really interesting. It's hard to imagine how different the landscape was with industry everywhere but no concrete or tarmac. Houses were built anywhere because electricity or sewage, vehicular access weren't a consideration. I live in an agricultural area but i can think of one or two places where a lone old fruit tree in an arable field remains where an isolated house once stood.

[@bobjackson6524]

That was brilliant. A nice long story. Took me two attempts to watch undisturbed. Looked like a very enjoyable day. Nice one, Thankyou team. Keep them coming. 👍👍👍👍

[@MartinZero]

Thanks Bob was an enjoyable time there

[@MrAsBBB]

A brilliant video sir! Great location with so much to offer. You bring history alive. So well done. I recon you could do a great TV series with all of the material you have.

[@aniwilliams3370]

This is a fantastic piece of work, Martin 💕 it’s not just the filming of the ruins, it’s bringing it all together with the overlays and the images of the portraits of those involved. I’d never heard of Samuel Oldknow and you not only brought his mill back to life but also him, including his financial struggles at the end. You’ve also touched on one of the yet hidden truths about the ‘workers’ in the industrial revolution. We talk a lot about the amazing things it achieved, but at what cost. As you correctly mentioned: children were bought for money from Workhouses. These children weren’t necessarily ‘orphans’ either, but ended up under the domain of the Parishes sometimes due to the poverty of their parents. They were sold under a transactional contract of ownership called an Indenture … and were considered the property of the Mill Owners. If they ran away, it was no different to slavery - they were hunted down and put into the Courts where their ownership could be determined by the production of the Indenture. If proven to be the property of the Millowners, they were handed over to him and sent back to the mill to be punished how he saw fit. How true it is, I don’t know, but even at one of Richard Arkwright’s mills there is a story that boys who were difficult were just killed by being thrown into the wheel race. Even the Millowners considered philanthropic frequently were not so in the ways we attach to them today. Samuel Greg, Snr of Styal (who provided cottages, etc, for his workers) bought the children who were housed in the Apprentice house that you can still visit as part of the mill tour. Examples of the Indentures - title of ownership of these people - can be seen there also. Although he fed the children better than other owners and his cottages had gardens, etc, this was all done solely on the basis of realising a healthier worker could work more productively. It was like caring for dogs or horses. Samuel Greg, Snr - despite being viewed as a ‘caring employer’ - objected to the Government bringing in legislation to protect child workers by bringing in working age limits; he stood up in Parliament and said ‘the Devil makes work for idle hands’. When an age limit of 8yrs was introduced he was found to have children of 6yrs and suspected 4yrs; the ages of such children being exploited by Millowners because of the terrible health and stunted growth (including rickets) which made them difficult to age. Although Greg looked after his workers better than others, they were still paid in tokens to be redeemed in his shop in the village. And although the children were fed better in the Apprentice house, there are legal proceedings that exist of children running away, and two such running away back to London because one of the boys ‘missed his mum’ - so these weren’t just orphans. The fact that the majority of workers were women/children wasn’t just because they had deft fingers - they were also the easiest to exploit in terms of pay/conditions and the most compliant. The history of the workers during the Industrial revolution is only just now being looked at. The horrors of the living conditions in places like Manchester is being highlighted in the books like ‘Angel Meadow’ by Dean Kirby. And Frederick Engel’s book ‘The conditions of the Working class in Manchester in 1844’ were so horrific they formed the basis of the discussions between him and Karl Marx. If you piece this together with the conditions of the workers in mining, where children as young as 4-5yrs were carried underground and worked in the dark for 8-12hrs a day, where women still dragged tubs of coal when they were pregnant and gave birth underground if that moment occurred there, then there’s a heavy price for the industrial revolution that doesn’t yet get told. And yet … we stand on their backs; because without the industrial revolution our lives would not look like they do today.

[@Drivershell53]

Sunday videos are what I wait for and this is one of your best. Great team, fun, tea and laughter, what more can anyone ask for?

[@MartinZero]

Cheers 👍

[@gerryegan4872]

Fantastic video guys, so much to see, wish I could do this site but sadly I can't but watching you guys do it and show what is still out there. Many thanks, keep the videos coming.

[@radio-ged4626]

Another epic video. Very sad end to a major employer in the area at the time. Mr Oldknow wouldn't have been the only one who lost out when the mill burnt down. So many tunnels, a fascinating place.

[@craigfoster2849]

Absolutely fascinating, thank you so much for making these amazing vlogs

[@MartinZero]

Thanks Craig

[@riccapucho]

Being a Romiley lad, and going to Marple Ridge High skool, Oldknow is a familiar name. Pops up everywhere locally. Arkwright is of course industrial revolution royalty. Sit up, folks, he change history. Ooo nostalgia.

[@larrydart7124]

It was good of you to bring Liam along so James had "someone of his own age to play with."🤩

[@Cowley46]

That was fantastic and a very well made in depth video. What a place, its just a shame the house was also demolished.

[@stevesrepairs5778]

Thanks Martin that was fantastic with great historical info. Take care and all the best. Stevie

[@mordanthamster2753]

The bonus tracks are hilarious. Keep 'em comin'!