This was a six-storey, 42-foot (13 m) wide and 210-foot (64 m) long mill with additional three-storey wings making it 400 feet (120 m) in all.

The River Goyt, and with it the then county boundary between Derbyshire and Cheshire was diverted and a weir built, the leat fed a millpond that in later times was named the Roman Lakes.

The mill was built beside the River Goyt in the parishes of Mellor and Marple in what was historically part of Cheshire and is now within Greater Manchester.

Samuel Oldknow[6] was a significant businessman[7] and mill owner[8] in Mellor during the Industrial Revolution.

He was underwritten by loans from Arkwright, and attempted to form a partnership with Peter Drinkwater being engaged to his daughter.

The financial crisis of 1792-1793 hit him badly and he sold off his other interests concentrating on completing this mill.

Arkwright intervened and formed a partnership with him, absorbing the debt leaving Oldknow to manage the mill and the estate.

Excavation of one of these in 1921, a coach-house, revealed a cache of Oldknow's papers; and from these Unwin researched and published the book referred to below.

[1] Oldknow was experienced at running spinning mills, and offered work to the few women living in the area, but many of his first workers were parish apprentices.

He was informed in December that 40 to 50 of mixed sexes were available, and in January 1796 he is told that 35 boys and 35 girls had been selected.

Material in the records suggest that apprentices coming out of time remained in Oldknow's service.

Robert Blincoe confirmed that Oldknow was a humane employer and his apprentices were contented and healthy.