Knockando Woolmill Trust

Open Day - Sunday 25th March 2012

Join us on Sunday 25th March between 11am-4pm for a look around the newly restored Mill. Here's a map to help you find us.

We're busy getting the new Mill shop ready for your visit - here's a sneak preview. But if you're unable to visit, don't forget you can shop online.

Completion of building works

Great news! The Woolmill buildings have now all been completed!

They were handed over to the Trust on 22 December 2011 by our main contractor, Mansell plc. The buildings look fantastic and we'll be moving in over the next month. We'll make sure we post some photos of the process.

The landscaping and some of the external works are not quite finished but that should be complete by the spring (weather permitting). We open to the public on 1 June 2012!

And although we didn't get a chance to blog before it was broadcast, this week saw the Woolmill feature on BBC Radio 4's "Open Country" programme. Helen Mark visited the Woolmill in December to record the programme. 

You can listen to the programme again via the BBC Radio 4 website.

Our next Open Day

It's been a busy summer down at the Woolmill and on Sunday 28th August 2011 between 10.30am and 5.00pm we'll be giving organised tours of the work to date as part of our latest Open Day.

All tours will leave Margach Hall in Knockando at half-hourly intervals and booking is essential. To book a place on the tour please call Brenda Harvey on 01343 563476 or e-mail brenda.harvey@moray.gov.uk

We'd also love to see you at Margach Hall in Knockando if you have a story to tell us.

There was a tradition of giving Woolmill blankets as wedding presents and also farmers bringing their wool to the mill to have it processed into blankets. We would love to hear from anyone who still has a Woolmill blanket.

Elidh, our Learning and Outreach Manager, will be collecting and recording people’s stories and memories of the Woolmill.  There will be an opportunity to view and purchase some new products developed at the Woolmill - and a chance to create your own unique bookmark from Woolmill fabric and yarn.

Open Day

Over 200 people attended our Open Day on 14 August held in partnership with the Moray Council and Knockando Margach Hall Committee. The theme was Sustainability and there were several exhibitors from our wool insulation company, Thermafleece, to the village's proposed hydroelectric scheme. The hall was decked in tweed bunting and looked fantastic. Minibus-loads of visitors were shown round the Woolmill site to view the construction progress.

Knockando Woolmill Celebration

On Monday night we held an informal ceremony down at the Woolmill to mark a very special day in its history.

After ten years of hard work, the Knockando Woolmill Trust has secured most of the funds needed to restore the Woolmill and work should start in September. The trustees want to thank everybody who has worked so hard to get us this far. By Easter 2012 we shall have a wonderfully restored mill and machinery, a unique textile business, dedicated education and training facilities and a beautiful visitor centre. We have had amazing support from many public bodies, charities, private donors, the local community, Friends of the Woolmill, volunteers and of course our hard-working professional team. The Moray Council has had confidence in the Project from the start and their support has been crucial in securing over £1 million of European Funding. Exciting times ahead!

Woolmill Open Day

The Woolmill will be open to everyone on Sunday 28th June from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. This will be a great opportunity to visit before the building work begins in September. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible and would encourage you to bring everybody you know! For any further information please contact Sandra Kennedy on 01343 890335 or email - sand45@tiscali.co.uk

Knockando Woolmill Open Day

As reported in the Press & Journal:

"People in Moray will have the chance to leave a lasting mark on the UK’s oldest operating district woollen mill.

The Knockando Woolmill at Knockando, Aberlour, is holding an open day tomorrow to officially launch its public appeal to raise £200,000 for restoration works.

Donations are needed to help restore some of the 18th-century building’s equipment, and sponsors could have their names engraved on some of the mill’s traditional features."

Read the article in full >