Solva Woollen Mill. Cherishing craftsmanship since 1961 by Quality Cottages
Watch the art of weaving at Solva Woollen Mill, a must visit when staying in our Holiday Cottages in Pembrokeshire. Read more on qualitycottages.co.uk (blog)
Learn about the incredible craftsmanship involved in all their products which feature many classic welsh woollen designs. Anna and Tom take us on a tour of their workshop. See how the looms are set up, the intricacy of a great craft. Buy the products in the most charming gift shop in the area, an easy trip, close to our Solva Holiday Cottages.
(This is like a hidden, secret place that people like to stumble upon, so we are very lucky, Anna.)
A surge in handcrafted, individually considered products is in place and Solva woollen mill shines brightly for all staying in any coastal cottages in Pembrokeshire who seek a taste of something authentic. Made by the man on site (Tom) and sold by his wife (Anna) in a stunningly beautiful shop, (there's a great tea room too!) we at Quality Cottages Wales owe them our thanks for taking the time to show us around their workshop.
For West Wales Cottages near Solva, visit qualitycottages.co.uk/pembrokeshire/holiday-cottages-solva.
Places to see in ( Solva - UK )
Places to see in ( Solva - UK )
Solva is a village and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, comprising principally Lower Solva and Upper Solva. Solva lies on the north side of St Bride's Bay, in North Pembrokeshire in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. It lies on a deep valley at the mouth of the River Solva. In the valley is Lower Solva, consisting of a long street ending at the small harbour. Most of the modern development has been in Upper Solva, on the cliff top to the west of the harbour.
The village church honors Saint Aidan and is part of the parish of Whitchurch.[3]
The rocks at the entrance to Solva Harbour made it one of the most sheltered anchorages between Fishguard and Milford Haven. Solva became the main trading centre of St Bride's Bay in the medieval period, and was important for lime burning. Several lime kilns are preserved in the harbour area. In the 19th century, Solva had around 30 registered trading ships. The fading coastal trade has been replaced by tourism, and the harbour is now a popular boating centre. The village was the location for Wales' first butterfly farm, Solva Nectarium, which opened in 1979.
Every year on Easter Monday Solva hosts a Duck Race for charity. The ducks are released into the River Solva near Middle Mill and float down stream to Solva harbour. The winner is the first to cross under the footbridge in lower Solva car park. Each summer, Solva hosts a Regatta which features rowing for adults and children.
The spectacular local cliff coast is popular with walkers, and the classic cliff exposures of Cambrian rocks attract amateur and professional geologists. Solva Woollen Mill, located at the nearby village of Middle Mill, claims to be the oldest continuously working woollen mill in Pembrokeshire. Today the mill mostly manufactures carpets and rugs. There is a tearoom and a shop, and visitors are able to see the looms at work. Solva Harbour is a good example of a flooded valley known as a ria. Local rocks contain fossils from the Cambrian period. and the village gives its name to this rock sequence.
( Solva - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Solva . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Solva - UK
Join us for more :
Melin Tregwynt Weaving Wool Mill Wales UK
Music: Extraordinaire by Dj Quads @aka-dj-quads
Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs youtu.be/vrkimvzkNkE
Trefriw Woollen Mill
Spinning mule in action at Trefriw woollen mill
DSCN2097.MOV
Islay Woollen Mill
Trefriw Woollen Mill Power Generation
Video of the turbine which powers the generator which in turn provides power for Trefriw woollen mill in north Wales. The water which powers the turbine is fed from a pipe which comes from the lake high above the village.
Agrodome Woollen Mill 250910.mp4
Uist Wool - The Machinery
The machinery arriving at the wool mill in Grimsay, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and being cleaned and prepared for their first run.
Van der Lee
G. van der Lee Rope Factory is member of the Hendrik Veder Group since April 2013. Van der Lee was established in the 16th century and ever since managed by the direct descendants of Jan Pietersz van der Lee (1545-1613), making Van der Lee the oldest family-owned business in The Netherlands. Currently the company produces and distributes high-quality natural and synthetic fibre rope products under ISO 9001 certification. At the production location in Oudewater a complete range of ropes are manufactured, fabricated to final products and certified, serving predominantly customers in offshore and maritime industries, and government and defence. For example, British Special Forces use abseil ropes produced by Van der Lee.
Made in Britain: Jacqueline Poncelet
In the first of a series of commissions for Tate's shops, artist Jacqui Poncelet creates a new textile design, working with the Welsh mill Melin Tregwynt. Poncelet was inspired by seasonal changes in the Welsh landscape when designing textiles to make cushions, blankets and throws for Tate's shops. In her own words she says: 'There is a wonderful conjunction of my passion for the Welsh landscape, pattern, colour and weaving all coming together in this project.'
View and purchase the Jacqueline Poncelet and Melin Tregwnyt collection online at
Wool - Iceland (1970-1979)
Iceland.
Various shots of wool fleece being processed on steel rollers. Wool thread coming off the rollers onto large spindles. Mainly CUs. CU machinery working. More CUs of wool thread being wound onto spindles.
FILM ID:3388.08
A VIDEO FROM BRITISH PATHÉ. EXPLORE OUR ONLINE CHANNEL, BRITISH PATHÉ TV. IT'S FULL OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES, FASCINATING INTERVIEWS, AND CLASSIC MOVIES.
FOR LICENSING ENQUIRIES VISIT
British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website.
The River of Life - Dreifa Mills / Mike Godsell
A short tribute to Mike Godsell who restored a woollen mill in West Wales (with some help from Jeremy Broun in the mid 1980's) and who passed away in 2016.
Jeremy Broun Woodworking Books, DVDs, E-books, Plans etc:
Furniture making and design:
Music (guitar):
Facebook:
Blog:
Subscribe to woodomain channel:
Gret and Mary: Welsh Blankets
Many thanks to sisters Mary and Gret for volunteering to share bi-lingual Life Stories for the Sound Memories Project.
Sound Memories enables older people to support each other through the Arts by making and sharing Digital Life Stories.
You can hear all the stories by visiting:- soundmemoriesradio.weebly.com
Kindly supported by Joseph Rowntree Foundation
& donations made to gofundme.com/sound-memories
Full details available from cherylbeermusic@gmail.com
Bees that make the honey for the Conwy Honey Fair, Loving bees since 1961 by Quality Cottages
Watch a film on bee keeping in Conwy Valley, North Wales, brought you to by Quality Cottages. Buy honey at the annual historical Conwy honey fair from our Conwy Valley Holiday Cottages. reserve@qualitycottages.co.uk 01348837871.
As part of our series of videos showcasing great local products, characters and 'how to' videos across wales, Quality Cottages share their meeting with Chris Clarke, bee keeper for the Conwy beekeepers association.
Chris narrates and shows us how bees are put to bed for the winter. It is an informative piece on just one part of bee keeping and highlights the richness of the many local associations to be found across Wales and how their good work can enrich the experience of staying in any of holiday cottages in North Wales.
Whether living in North Wales or planning a holiday, do not miss the annual 700 year old Conwy Honey Fair, organised by the Conwy beekeepers association.(A great time to book one our Conwy Valley Holiday Cottages)
With the increasing knowledge of the importance of bees to our environment, we give thanks to Chris and the Conwy Bee Keepers Association for sharing a part of the honey making process in North Wales with us.
To find out more about Bee keeping in North Wales, the Honey Fair, and bee keeping courses, read Chris' blog on qualitycottages.co.uk/aroundwales.
Derelict mill Bradford
Derelict mill Bradford
Cynefin: Eglwys Henllan
Heledd Cynwal sy'n gwireddu breuddwyd trwy ymweld ag Eglwys Carcharorion Rhyfel Henllan
Fireside stories from Wales' oldest pub, the Skirrid Inn, Brecon Beacons.
Learn some beguiling fireside stories at Wales' oldest pub, an easy reach from our Brecon Beacons holiday cottages and a must place to visit in Mid Wales. qualitycottages.co.uk/brecon-beacons/brecon-beacons-cottages.
Skirrid Mountain Inn is reputed to be the oldest public house in Wales, with a history that can be traced back as far as the Norman Conquest.Once a court house, it is now an utterly charming pub with a landlord happy to share its great tales. A place full of cosy, happy times with a dark side that involves the landlord placing a pint of ale outside each night to appease the devil and a noose that plays homage to its history as a courthouse!
Our roving reporter Polly met with the charming landlord, Geoff on a perfect winters night to hear his tales from this ancient pub. It is the kind of pub we all want to stumble across whilst on holiday in Wales and one we hope guests staying in our Brecon Beacons holiday cottages will visit.
The Skirrid Mountain Inn stands in the shadow of the Skirrid Mountain, sometimes called the Holy Mountain, which, according to legend , broke in two at the time of the crucifixion of Christ during a violent storm. In the forecourt of the Inn Owen Glendower rallied his troops before marching on to Pontrilas. Halfway up the magnificent square spiral staircase stands the cell, now used as a store room, where many a prisoner spent his last night before being sentenced to death by Bloody Judge Jefferies. The last person to be executed here was hanged on the instructions of Oliver Cromwell; the crime - sheep stealing.
The skirrid Inn is the oldest public house within the borders of Wales and among the foremost claimants to the title of the oldest pub in Great Britain. Many of the contenders listed in the Guinness Book of Records are not original structures, being newer buildings on old foundations or have been extended or restored over the centuries. The Skirrid Inn however has stood for nine centuries.The main rivals for the title of the oldest inn in Great Britain are Nottingham's Trip to Jerusalem ( 1070), the Fighting Cocks at St. Albans (11th century structure on an 8th century site), the Godbegot at Winchester (1002). The Bingley Arms, Bardsay near Leeds is recorded as the Priests Inn (AD 905), while Ye Old Ferry Boat Inn at Holywell Cambridgeshire claims an origin as early as AD 560.
In 1110 is first recorded the existence of the inn known for centuries as The Skirrid.
The Devil rode abroad in these early days of ignorance and as the night wins howled in the black night, inside the walls of the Inn, the Innkeeper solemnly poured out a pot of Devils Brew for His Satanic majesty - and placed it upon the shelf above the fireplace hence to sip with the DevilThe Innkeeper may have also left a jug of pwcca on the Skirrid doorstep when the last of his customers disappeared into the night, to appease the evil or mischievous spirits of the darkness.
Shakespeare is thought to have got his idea for Puck of Mid Summer Nights Dream from y pwcca.
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Quality Cottages is a family owned holiday company with some fabulous cottages near this inn and indeed across the whole of Wales. Our selected Welsh cottages offer the opportunity to experience wonderful rural and mountain scenery, perfect locations and quality cottages for couples, families, friends and outdoor enthusiasts.
Wool industry in Wales | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:02:12 1 Process
00:04:12 2 Prehistoric to early medieval times
00:06:36 3 Medieval period
00:11:39 4 Foreign trade
00:16:16 5 Industrial era
00:16:26 5.1 North Wales
00:19:16 5.2 Mid-Wales
00:24:16 5.3 South Wales
00:27:56 6 Today
00:28:57 7 See also
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SUMMARY
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The woollen industry in Wales was at times the country's most important industry, though it often struggled to compete with the better-funded woollen mills in the north of England, and almost disappeared during the 20th century. There is continued demand for quality Welsh woollen products.
Wool processing includes removing the fleece by shearing, classing the wool by quality, untangling, carding and spinning it into yarn, which may be knitted or woven into cloth, then finishing the cloth by fulling, napping and pressing.
Spinning and weaving of sheep's wool dates to prehistoric times in Wales, but only became an important industry when Cistercian monasteries were established in the 12th century.
Water-powered fulling mills to finish the cloth enabled rapid expansion of the industry in the 13th century, although spinning and weaving continued to be a cottage industry.
In the early 16th century production shifted from south Wales to mid and north Wales. The Shrewsbury Drapers Company in England took a dominant role in distributing Welsh cloth. From the 18th century there was strong demand for cheap, sturdy Welsh material shipped from Bristol, Liverpool or the Welsh ports to clothe slaves in the British colonies of North America and the West Indies.
During the Industrial Revolution the Welsh woollen industry was slow to mechanize compared to the mills of northern England. When railways reached mid Wales in the 1860s they brought a flood of cheap mass-produced products that destroyed the local industry. However, development of the South Wales Coalfield opened a growing market for woollen products from water-powered mills in the south west, which prospered until after World War I. At one time there were more than 300 working wool mills. The industry went into steady decline after World War I, and only a few mills continue to operate.