Lost tweed exploration

[H.Johnson]

For me one of the most fascinating things about tweed is its association with a particular part of the er...British Isles*.

As with local foods and drinks (e.g. cheeses, beers, ciders, apples) It is interesting to visit the places where such tweeds used to be made. You get to see a lot of 'outlet villages', executive housing developments and trendy wine bars, but you also find that tweed is still being made, or at least there are relics of its production that are worth recording. Finding out a tweed's roots is what I call tweed exploration. I'll start the thread and see if anyone joins in with their own experiences...

Now, I have had through my hands the more commonly seen Irish, Scottish and English tweeds as well as some of the rarer ones that you rarely see anymore, including Devon and Cheshire. Over fifty years of wearing it, I thought I had seen some great tweed. Until, that is I bought a three piece number in herringbone Manx Tweed from Baron Kurtz.

This is, quite simply, tweed in another dimension. The exremely pure water and the natural tones of the native Loaghtan fleece make for an exceptional fabric. It far exceeds any other tweed I have seen for its brightness, its texture and the irresistable green motes that fleck its surface. It was woven by Moore's at the Tynwald Mills, St. John's, I-o-M. I had heard good things about their work but having finally handled an example I had to go see where it was made and, if possible, to find examples of other Manx tweeds in their native environment. So, wearing suitably unobtrusive expedition clothing (a 3-piece Norfolk suit in Derby tweed) I set off for Liverpool and the Steam Packet Company landing stage...

My initial expectation that the streets of my destination would be full of shops selling all manner of clothing in Manx tweed was to be disappointed. True, there we lots of places selling T-shirts with every conceivable thing relating to motorcycle road racing, but they weren't exactly what I was looking for. An enquiry led me to St. George's Mills at Laxey, where tweed production was restarted at around the time that the Tynwald Mills were running down. My excitement at visiting was to be rather misplaced. Tweed was being produced (you can buy it over the Interweb) but the proprietors had come from Scotland (very near to Aero Leather's premises) and they seemed to concentrate on 'Manx tartan' (about which I am not qualified to comment). Certainly tweed woven in a Manx mill, but not what I would call traditional Manx tweed.

So, on the 'bus to St. John's, the location of the 'oldest parliament in the world', and disappointment. Tynwald Mills is a 'craft centre'. It sells the same as every other 'outlet' you will find where there used to be a factory. there were just two notices by the stream running past the coffee shop that announced that 2 million yards of tweed had been woven there between the 1920s and the 1980s. They could have added that they supplied the Duke of Kent with his tweed, but perhaps they had forgotten that...

C-mon, let's share our tweed searching experiences...
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* A geographical, rather than political, term that includes England, Wales, Scotland, Northern and Southern Island, the Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, The Scilly Isles, Lundy, Skomer and Skokholm, Anglesey, The Farnes and Lindisfarne, Arran, The Inner and Outer Hebrides, Shetland Isles, Orkney Isles and any other island whose inhabitants I may have enraged by either leaving them out or including them.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Very interesting topic. We must remember that Scotland - or any of the countries mentioned - can't be collected under a single "type" of tweed.

Having grown up in the Borders, home of the Shepherd's Check, I was surrounded by the wool industry, though in the 80s it was in terminal decline, and has continued downwards. I hear rumours, though, that nice traditional tweeds are being woven again in Hawick. When first hunting out fabric on the interwebs I came across a company that I can no longer locate.


When do you go back to the charity shop for the bolts?

bk

 

[H.Johnson]

Not quite! The vintage zippers were from the charity shop. The staff there told me that they were from the backstreet sewing shop. That's where the bolts of new old stock Tynwald Mills tweed (herringbone and Donegal style) are.

They are still there AFAIK. I need a cheap fare and some free time to go and collect them.

The people at St. George's Mills, Laxey, were tweed weavers in Galashiels. That's interesting news about Hawick. Feel a tweed expedition coming on?

 

[Creeping Past]

I was in Adara last autumn and hoped to visit a couple of really good looking Donegal tweed suppliers. I left the visit till my last day there. But Dublin bus left half an hour before the stores opened.

 

[Puzzicato]

I've looked at a few Manx tweeds on ebay (St George's woollen mill has an ebay store) but I haven't bought any.

 

[H.Johnson]

I had a most enjoyable afternoon yesterday with a fellow lounger who has much wisdom, experience and interest but who rarely reveals himself. A terrific chap, whose natural modesty does him great credit. Suffice it to say, that for many years this is where he went to work:

We are contemplating an expedition to the home of Welsh Tweed (and of bog-snorkeling) Ffynnon Llanwrtyd. As with other native tweeds (Manx Tweed being the obvious example) it is the local water and the local wool that gives the cloth its character. The Isle of Man has its unique Laughtan breed and pure, clear water (it is said that water falling on the central mountain reaches the sea in less than an hour). Welsh Tweed, by contrast (like Hebridean tweed) shows its peaty heritage. This particular mill uses a wide range of native breeds for its wool:

Its products are much favoured by rat catchers. I wondered if any 'tweedies' (or rat catchers) fancied joining us?

 

[H.Johnson]

I don't blame you. Buying tweed over the Interweb, as an experience, is sadly lacking and devoid of all that makes tweed what it is. I'm sure you'd enjoy the chance to meet the sheep, talk to the weavers and watch them at their work, to smell the ... er... pungent aroma of newly waulked wool, to hear the music of the loom and to see the cloth being created before your eyes. The romance of tweed is about smell and feel, about the hills and valleys and streams from which it comes and the people who create it.

Oh, and you can wear it if you wish...

I urge you, take the ship, find that mill, be amazed at Lady Isabel, the mighty Laxey water wheel. Buy your tweed the old-fashioned way. It will be special.

I've looked at a few Manx tweeds on ebay (St George's woollen mill has an ebay store) but I haven't bought any.

 

[Tomasso]

I wonder if a whisky/tweed tour could be worked out. I'll sign up for that.

 

[cookie]

For me one of the most fascinating things about tweed is its association with a particular part of the er...British Isles*.

Now, I have had through my hands the more commonly seen Irish, Scottish and English tweeds as well as some of the rarer ones that you rarely see anymore, including Devon and Cheshire. Over fifty years of wearing it, I thought I had seen some great tweed. Until, that is I bought a three piece number in herringbone Manx Tweed from Baron Kurtz.

This is, quite simply, tweed in another dimension. The exremely pure water and the natural tones of the native Loaghtan fleece make for an exceptional fabric. It far exceeds any other tweed I have seen for its brightness, its texture and the irresistable green motes that fleck its surface. It was woven by Moore's at the Tynwald Mills, St. John's, I-o-M. I had heard good things about their work but having finally handled an example I had to go see where it was made and, if possible, to find examples of other Manx tweeds in their native environment. So, wearing suitably unobtrusive expedition clothing (a 3-piece Norfolk suit in Derby tweed) I set off for Liverpool and the Steam Packet Company landing stage...

worthlesswithoutpics




Laxey Woollen Mills is a family-owned business and is proud to be the last working woollen mill on the Isle of Man. Robert Wood took over the business in the 1950s and it has remained a family enterprise ever since. Robert was a highly skilled woollen weaver and designer from Galashiels who reintroduced hand looms to Laxey. He and his wife Sally transformed the fortunes of the mill by weaving tweeds and tartans to cater for both the local population and the demand of the tourist industry.



Robert’s son John has now taken over the mill and is continuing to weave the Manx tweed using traditional methods. John served a five year apprenticeship under his father and has been a professional weaver since the age of 16. He is the only commercial pattern weaver on the Isle of Man and specialises in producing tweeds in a vast array of designs and qualities, including, of course, the famous Laxey Manx tartan. John's love of working with colours and yarns is particularly evident in his one-off, limited edition designs.

 

[H.Johnson]

I feel perhaps I was a little unfair to the Wood family and people at St. George's Mill. They are great weavers and their stuff is worthy. I enjoyed visiting their and talking to them. They are fine craftsmen. Also St. George's Mill was originally started by John Ruskin as an 'arts and crafts' initiative in the 19th C and deserves respect for that. The Woods are to be thanked for reviving it.

However, the tweed they are producing their now isn't as good IMO as the 1940s-1950s Moore's Tweed produced at Tynwald Mills as in the advert. My tweed suit has the same label as in the advert. I was perhaps unrealistic in expecting such tweed to be produced today.

As in my post above, I would certainly recommend anyone interested in tweed to visit Laxey Woollen Mill (from whose website the extract in the above post comes). I don't agree about the photographs, by the way. Threads are about discussion and explanation as much as pictures. Just my opinion.

 

[Creeping Past]

The Welsh trip would be nice, but my work schedule being uncertain and being a non-driver means that last-minute train tickets would work out too dear at the moment.

I should like to see some pictures of the day out, though!

 

[Puzzicato]

I don't blame you. Buying tweed over the Interweb, as an experience, is sadly lacking and devoid of all that makes tweed what it is. I'm sure you'd enjoy the chance to meet the sheep, talk to the weavers and watch them at their work, to smell the ... er... pungent aroma of newly waulked wool, to hear the music of the loom and to see the cloth being created before your eyes. The romance of tweed is about smell and feel, about the hills and valleys and streams from which it comes and the people who create it.

Oh, and you can wear it if you wish...

I urge you, take the ship, find that mill, be amazed at Lady Isabel, the mighty Laxey water wheel. Buy your tweed the old-fashioned way. It will be special.

Well yes - but as much as I like the romance of all that, it really came down to a lack of choice in the colours and the fact that they are only single widths!

 

[H.Johnson]

Commiserations. You should be old, like my exploration companion and I. You get cheaper travel.

The Welsh trip would be nice, but my work schedule being uncertain and being a non-driver means that last-minute train tickets would work out too dear at the moment.

I should like to see some pictures of the day out, though!

 

[H.Johnson]

I agree. The St. George's tweed is...er...modern tweed. I'm sure they weave what sells, but IMO it's not traditional. It's tweed for people who can't take 'real' tweed. You know, they don't want to stand out in a crowd and expect it not to take the skin off their knees...

You can't, for instance, imagine a modern tweed mill producing material like this...

Well yes - but as much as I like the romance of all that, it really came down to a lack of choice in the colours and the fact that they are only single widths!

 

[Creeping Past]

Commiserations. You should be old, like my exploration companion and I. You get cheaper travel.

I'm planning on being old one day. But by then, of course, subsidised travel will be a thing of the past.

 

[H.Johnson]

Long may our Government recognise that the real adventurers of this world are old and long may it continue to subsidise our travel to have exciting and real experiences and to acquire 'objects of desire'.

Most of the young people I know buy their things over the Interweb. Somehow clicking buttons and opening boxes doesn't do it for me...

 

[H.Johnson]

I am reminded of one of the advantages of buying local tweed (or buying tweed locally). I visited a tweed weaver while on holiday (vacation) in a tiny Welsh village around twenty years ago and was I admiring some herringbone tweed (Welsh herringbone is not common) in a beautiful heathery brown wool. I like to wear co-ordinating tweeds - a waistcoat and breeches, for instance, and I suddenly thought, 'Why not have a trousers (pants) and pullover (...er...sweater) in matching wool?' I mentioned this abstract idea to the weaver, not expecting a result. However, he simply said, 'I'll get my wife to knit you one in the same wool'. She measured me and it was ready before I was set to go home. I wonder if Or**s or J.P*t*r*an or J.L.P*w**l would do that?

I still wear the trouser and pullover set, although after hard use I've had to reinforce the elbows and shoulders of the pullover and the pockets of the trousers with suede and leather.

I'd love to go back and see if the weaver is still in business. I bet it's an 'outlet village' now like Tynwald Mills...