A historic mill is to take centre stage in a new period drama.

The Mill tells the story of Quarry Bank Mill in Styal, its former owners the Gregg family and the hundreds of apprentices who worked there.

The four-part programme, which will be shown on Channel Four, is based on the National Trust property’s extensive historical archive, and much of the drama was filmed in and around the grade II listed mill.

Eleanor Underhill, general manager at Quarry Bank, believes the series, which was filmed at the mill between February and April this year, will draw national attention at a time when it is trying to fundraise for a £1.4m conservation project.

She said: “We’re delighted that Channel Four chose Quarry Bank for this exciting new series.

“We have archive records of all 800 apprentices who worked here and these proved invaluable as an inspiration for the storyline.

“A key part of our current fundraising appeal will be to digitise the huge Quarry Bank archive and make it more accessible, thus revealing many more of the stories about the people who lived and worked here.

“We hope that The Mill will raise awareness of Quarry Bank and encourage people to visit this fantastic site which played such a key role in the early years of the Industrial Revolution.”

The series is set in the 1830s and depicts a time when children as young as nine are working 12-hour shifts in the mills, while a new class of mill-owning families prosper.

The Mill features Quarry Bank’s founder, Samuel Greg, and focuses on teenage apprentice Esther Price, played by Kerrie Hayes, who risks her own position to stand up for justice at a time when the working classes were beginning to demand a say in their own lives.

The series was written by BAFTA award-winning John Fay, directed by James Hawes and produced by Caroline Levy.

Julia Harrington, commissioning editor for Channel Four, said: “The Mill is about a moment when Britain was an emerging economy, making trade-offs between wealth creation and the welfare of individuals.

“In our use of Quarry Bank’s records and other historical sources, we have combined, elided, borrowed, edited and invented – always with our eyes on the prize of a costume drama with something to say to a 21st century audience.”

The first episode will be shown on Sunday, July 28, at 8pm.