Solva Woollen Mill is a woollen mill in the village of

Middle Mill Middle Mill (Welsh: ''Felinganol'') is a small settlement on the River Solva in the parish of Whitchurch, Pembrokeshire, Wales, approximately 1 mile upstream from the coastal village of Solva. Buildings and amenities The settlement is centred on ...

, about one mile from

Solva Solva ( cy, Solfach) is a village, community and electoral ward in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The village comprises principally Lower Solva and Upper Solva. The community also includes Middle Mill and Whitchurch. Location Solva lies on the north ...

, Pembrokeshire, Wales, that has been in operation since 1907.

History

Solva Woollen Mill claims to be the oldest working woollen mill in Pembrokeshire. There were 26 woollen mills in

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

in 1900. Today Solva Woollen Mill is one of the two remaining woollen mills in the county. In 1907 Tom Griffiths moved his mill from

St Davids St Davids or St David's ( cy, Tyddewi, , "David's house”) is a city and a community (named St Davids and the Cathedral Close) with a cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Alun. It is the resting place of Saint David, W ...

to a new purpose-built building in

powered by a diameter overshot water wheel. Equipment included machinery to process the fleece, several small powered looms, a hand loom for making stair carpets and a flannel press. At first the cloth was finished at a nearby

fulling Fulling, also known as felting, tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelled waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven or knitted cloth (particularly wool) to elimin ...

mill, but later the mill installed its own fulling machine. The mill made tweeds, blankets, flannel, stair carpets and knitting wool. Prime Minister

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

had a Middle Mill tweed suit made in 1929. Tom Griffith's son-in-law, Eric Hemmingway, took over the operation in 1950, began producing carpets on the power looms, then upgraded to larger and more modern machinery. An oil-fired engine replaced the water wheel. In the early 1960s another weaving shed was built and electrical looms installed using the newly available mains electricity. The carding and spinning plant was scrapped, and the mill began using pre-spun and dyed yarn. By the 1970s the bulk of the production was carpeting. The mill was sold to new owners in 1986.

Today

The waterwheel was restored in 2007. The original mill building was renovated in 2011 and is now a shop and tea room. The mill today specializes in making flat woven rugs and runners. Their rugs are sold in the United Kingdom, Japan, the US and Australia. The

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

and

Duchess of Cornwall Duchess of Cornwall is a courtesy title held by the wife of the eldest son and heir of the British monarch. The current title-holder is Catherine, wife of William, Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall. Duchesses of Cornwall Until her husband' ...

have visited the Solva Woollen Mill and used rugs from the mill in furnishing their property at

Llwynywermod Llwynywermod ( cy, Llwynywermwd ), also known as Llwynywormwood, is an estate owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, just outside the Brecon Beacons National Park in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The estate is near the village of Myddfai, Llandovery, Carma ...

. File:Solva Mill (3963).jpg, Water wheel File:Solva Mill (3960).jpg, Loom File:Solva Mill (3959).jpg, Loom

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * * * {{authority control Textile mills in Wales Buildings and structures in Pembrokeshire Tourist attractions in Pembrokeshire Watermills in Pembrokeshire