Gower Heritage Centre

The Gower Heritage Centre are pleased to announce our new Artisan Workshops...

http://www.craftcourses.com/courses/weaving-artisan-workshop

What is an Artisan Workshop?

The Gower Heritage Centre are offering you the chance to come and participate in an exclusive Artisan Workshop at our Traditional Woollen Mill with a tailored experience just for you. We also offer Gift Vouchers for our Artisan Workshops which can be purchased by telephoning us on 01792 371206. An ideal unusual gift to treat a special friend or family member, a great gift for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, retirement or just to say 'Thank You'.

Learn to Spin in 2018 Beginners Hand Spinning & Finishing with Ffibrau Y Gwyr - Fibres of Gower

SATURDAY 14th APRIL 2018 10.30 - 4.00pm

- Hand spin your own locally sourced, pure wool yarn! FULL DAY SATURDAY 14TH APRIL 2018 10.30 - 4.00PM

A beginner’s workshop for those who have never tried the pure bliss of spinning their own yarn on a drop spindle. Includes all materials and tuition in basic hand spinning and finishing techniques. With all materials and a drop spindle supplied during this workshop you will spin and then finish your very own ball of pure wool yarn.

We source our Ryeland fleece on Gower and what better setting for spinning your unique yarn than the Woollen Mill at the Gower Heritage Centre. Drop spindles have been used in hand spinning for centuries and are incredibly versatile and widely used by hand spinners today.

Why not come along, meet us, and experience a full day of relaxed spinning and we reckon by the end, you’ll be hooked! We will teach you the skills to be able to produce your own hand spun yarn at home.

Maximum of 4 people per tutor. Maximum 8 spaces available.

What’s Included:

Drop Spindle for use during the workshop

Carded Ryland Wool

Equipment to allow you to finish your yarn and wind into a ball.

Free entry into the Gower Heritage Centre

A tour of the Woollen Mill and its history

Refreshments (tea & coffee)

Please bring a packed lunch or alternatively there is a café on site serving a variety of fresh food and local produce. ?

Awesome introductory offer! £48 per person

4 places remaining! Book now to avoid disappointment!

please email Rachel or Tasha - ffibrauygwyr@gmail.com to book a place.

What would your day include?

Depending on your length of workshop your experience is completely customizable to you and your preference. Our set schedules are for customers who would like to try everything we offer in a short amount of time, and can be altered. Although every workshop will begin with a introduction, briefing and a tour of the Woollen Mill so you can understand your surroundings, the history behind the workings and survival of our Woollen Mill.

Aims and Objectives: Our aims will be to teach you the traditional and more modern methods of the processes we use in the Woollen Mill on a daily basis to create various products, to better your knowledge and understanding of the textile industry as a whole.

To book your tailored experience call us on: 01792 371206 or email is on reception@gowerheritagecentre.co.uk for an information pack.

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Introducing the 'Red Flannel Collection'...

We are proud to announce the opening of our new Park Mill Woollen Manufactory, an industrially woven collection of red flannel products made here at Park Mill in our traditional Woollen Mill.

We have a range of products available to purchase from this collection including; throws, cushions, blankets, shawls and more! As well drop spindle kits, balls of wool for hand knitting from our very own sheep.

Pop in and see what we have on offer!

Previously in the Woollen Mill...

Andrew Davies AM officially opens the Woollen Mill Project

The Woollen Mill project was officially opened on the 23rd of March 2007 by Andrew Davies AM with guest Edwina Hart AM.

"This project is a tribute to an industry that historically provided hundreds of jobs and will now create employment as well as leisure and tourism opportunities in the modern day. This is a great example of how European Structural Funds can make a positive difference to a region. We will build on this success during the next round of funding which is due to begin later this year."
Andrew Davies AM

"This new display features working exhibits from the former Swansea Maritime and Industrial Museum now replaced by the new National Waterfront Museum.In partnership with Swansea Museum Services and supported by the European Union's Objective One Programme through the Welsh Assembly Government, we are now able to create our own woollen mill in an existing craft display within the grounds of the Heritage Centre. It's an exciting venture."
Roy Church, GHC Trustee

Mr Church said apart from the equipment used from the old Abbey Works at Neath there was machinery from Cwmllwchwr Mill at Ammanford.

The Neath Abbey Mill was one of the last major mills in the area to close in the 1970's and was particularly important because it was one of the few mills that carried out the entire process of fabric production from fleece to fabric under one roof. Products included blankets, throws and even shawls for babies. He said that in Gower there were a number of small mills operating until the 1920's - most of them run by the Tanner family. They produced a unique Gower Blanket with a particular red weave pattern known as Minka.

At Parkmill near the water mill at the Heritage Centre a fulling mill was set-up in the 19th century. Fulling is a process of washing the cloth to encourage shrinking. In Wales these mills were called Pandy.

At one time on the Gower sheep were a major source of fleece for the local industry and many farms had facilities for washing sheep prior to shearing.

Over the last 6 years, work has been going on at the Centre to create a display which illustrates the history of the woollen industry in south-west Wales using equipment from the former Abbey Woollen Mill at Neath and shows how fleece is turned into a finished fabric.

Today there are no longer any working weaving mills in the area yet at one time there was a thriving industry employing hundreds of people. Little however, remains today of those times.

At the Gower Heritage Centre Woollen Mill we feel that is extremely important to keep these valuable techniques and skills alive today with regular demonstrations, workshops, talks and short courses suitable for all ages.

We are currently demonstrating weaving on both the industrial (Dobcross) loom as well as an 8-shaft hand loom housed in our Woollen Mill. We can weave replicas of both the 'Gower' pattern and the 'Minka' pattern into scarves, cushions, shawls and small accessories. We also hold demonstrations of carding, spinning using drop-spindles, historical examples of different drop-spindles, weaving using rigid-heddle looms, tablet (card) weaving, inkle weaving and tapestry weaving.

The Woollen Mill is open 7 days a week with free carding and spinning facilities to 'have a go',

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