Cambrian Woollen Mill, just north of

Llanwrtyd Wells Llanwrtyd Wells ( cy, Llanwrtyd "church of St Gwrtud") is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire) on the Afon Irfon. The town is on the A483 between Llandovery and Builth Wells and is l ...

, Powys, is one of the few remaining operational woollen mills in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It is known for its line of Welsh

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

s. The building dates to 1820.

History

The Cambrian Mill is situated beside the

Afon Irfon Afon Irfon (the River Irfon) is a river in Powys, Wales. It flows from the upper slopes of Bryn Garw in the Cambrian Mountains, through the Abergwesyn Valley, past the Nant Irfon National Nature Reserve in the hills above the village of Abergwesy ...

on the edge of

Mynydd Epynt Mynydd Epynt () is a former community and upland area in Powys, Wales. The Ministry of Defence controversially evicted the community of Mynydd Epynt in 1940, creating what is now the core of the Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA), the largest mil ...

and the

Cambrian Mountains The Cambrian Mountains ( cy, Mynyddoedd Cambria, in a narrower sense: ''Elenydd'') are a series of mountain ranges in Wales. The term ''Cambrian Mountains'' used to apply to most of the upland of Wales. Since the 1950s, its application has becom ...

. The

Brecon Beacons The Brecon Beacons ( cy, Bannau Brycheiniog, ) are a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of Old Red Sandstone peaks which lie to the south of Brecon. Sometimes referred to as "the central Beacons" t ...

and Carmarthen Fans lie to the south. The building dates to 1820, when it opened as a corn mill, which was converted to a Welsh

flannel Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber. Flannel is commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, b ...

weaving mill. The mill carded, dyed, spun and wove local wool, using water power until about 1860. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

(1939–45) the mill supplied woollen products to Queen Mary and

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

. It has been visited by

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

(before her accession to the throne) and

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

. The

woollen industry in Wales 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 continue ...

declined in the 20th century, partly due to competition from more modern English mills. The Cambrian mill is one of a handful of mills that are left. File:Cambrian Woollen Mill, Llanwrtyd (1294049).jpg, Mill exterior, early 20th century File:Textile machinery at Cambrian Factory, Llanwrtyd (1293828).jpg, Textile machinery in the 1940s File:Textile machinery at Cambrian Factory, Llanwrtyd (1293993).jpg, Textile machinery in the 1940s

Today

The mill produces blankets, throws, scarves, ties, hats and fabric. It also designs and weaves 37 Welsh tartans. The mill weaves all the wool cloth for the Welsh Tartan Centre. The mill has a tea and gift shop, a crafts studio and an exhibit of historical weaving in Wales. In 2014 Hefin Jones of Cardigan designed a pressurized space suit made from Welsh wool supplied by Cambrian Woollen Mill as well as

Melin Tregwynt Melin Tregwynt (Tregwynt Mill) is a woollen mill in the hamlet of Tregwynt in the parish of Granston, Pembrokeshire, Wales. A mill has stood on this site since 1819 taking fleeces from the sheep farms of the area, carding and spinning them into w ...

, Melin Teifi and the

National Wool Museum The National Wool Museum, located in Drefach Felindre, Llandysul, Carmarthenshire is part of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. Background Historically and into the 19th century, the woollen industry in Wales, including spinning and we ...

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * {{authority control Textile mills in Wales Woollen mills Buildings and structures in Powys Tourist attractions in Powys Llanwrtyd Wells