Family album makes 3,000-mile journey back to Quarry Bank

A family album has been returned to Quarry Bank after it was discovered – in America.

The book – ‘Family Album (Mrs S. Greg’s) 1800-1815, Quarry Bank and Ireland’ – was being sold online by James Cummins Bookseller in New York.

It is not known how the album ended up on the other side of the Atlantic, but it is now back in the mill’s archives.

“As soon as we opened its gilded pages we knew we had to have it back and we hope one day it will be on display for the visitors to Quarry Bank,” said Archivist Ally Tsilika.

A researcher first spotted the book on sale in November, 2012, but the $4,000 was not available to pay for it.

Months later Andrew Greg, a descendent of the family that built and ran Quarry Bank, came across the album and thanks to his lineage was able to negotiate the price down to $3,200.

“Andrew very kindly offered us first refusal of the album as he felt it belonged in our archive and in its original home at Quarry Bank,” said Ally.

“We were able to buy it thanks to two generous National Trust bequests and a contribution from Quarry Bank, funded by visitors’ Gift Aid donations.”

The album is a kind of visitors’ book, kept by Hannah Greg at Quarry Bank House.

Whenever family members or friends came to stay they would enter a poem, watercolour, sketch and even pressed flowers.

Hannah’s niece Mary Lyle left a piece of music about the River Bollin that was probably written during a visit to Quarry Bank.

“What becomes clear is the closeness of the family,” said Ally. “There were so many visits from relatives that it’s clear there was a real family community that emanated from Quarry Bank House. It also shows how much they cared for, and were moved by, the landscape at Quarry Bank as it inspired so much poetry and many sketches.”

The album will prove invaluable for the ongoing work documenting more of the mill’s history and particularly how the story of Quarry Bank House is told.