Styal is a commuter village, with access to Manchester in an area once known as Pownall Fee. The village is dominated by Quarry Bank Mill, built in 1784 by Samuel Greg who also arranged for housing to be built for the workers; many of the buildings at Styal Estate still stand and some are historically designated. The cotton mill itself is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. The National Trust owns the site and operates it as a museum. According to the European Union, the mill with Styal village make up "the most complete and least altered factory colony of the Industrial Revolution. It is of outstanding national and international importance".