The London designer bringing an historic 180-year-old Carmarthenshire woollen mill back to life

WATCH: Hamish Auskerry's video report from the Elvet Woollen Mill restoration project

When you think of theme parks, you might dream of Thorpe Park, Blackpool, Disneyland or even, perhaps, Barry Island.

But how about a place where you can see every stage of the traditional fabrics production line in all its magnificence?

It would be a place oozing with history, where machinery dating back hundreds of years is operated by people using the skills that were once at the heart of the Welsh industrial era.

That is the dream of weaver and founder of London Cloth Co, Daniel Harris.

Last November he bought the Elvet Woollen Mill near Carmarthen after the previous owner, Mike Talbot decided to retire.

The site was originally a tannery and the earliest parts of the building date back to 1840.

Mike put the building on the market with the instruction that it not be sold unless the new owner planned to keep it working as a mill.

For the last 12 years, Daniel had been dreaming of this moment. In 2019, he had first come to Wales to work with the National Wool Museum to overhaul machinery and train others in the craft of traditional weaving.

Elvet Mill is a magical place, surrounded by woodland and a river that used to power a water-wheel on the side of the building, which in turn once powered the complex workings within.

The water-wheel is now sadly long-gone, but so much of the history of the place remains.

"This is an amazing thing that we've been able to do here", Daniel told me.

"I started off with small looms, and then you realise you need a pirn winder, a creel, a cone winder, a warping mill and all these other things and it just goes from there really. You learn one thing and then you move them onto next.

"The jobs on their own individually are all very basic, but it's when you bring it all together. But most of the job is just problem solving".

In around the year 1900, there were 325 working mills just like Elvet in the counties of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.

Today, across Wales, there are just seven left in full operation.

"The Teifi Valley was a very important centre to the woollen industry at the beginning of the 19th century", Ann Whittall, the manager of the National Wool Museum in Dre-fach Felindre tells me.

"The fact that Daniel has preserved Elvet mill which was established over 130 years ago is very important. Daniel brings a lot of enthusiasm and excitement with him, and he's very passionate about transferring his skills and knowledge and training others".

Daniel estimates the task ahead of him will take between 10 and 20 years of work, but that does not faze him. He is a man driven by an infectious passion for his craft, and for the area he now calls home and office.

Welsh blankets will be made in the mill, as well as the raw materials for garments being made by major international high end brands, like Ralph Lauren amongst others.

18-year-old Morgan Whittall, who just so happens to also be museum manager Ann's son, works for Daniel in the mill.

"Not many people in this area, especially my age, would have the chance to learn skills like this. And to be able to use machinery, that without knowing Daniel I probably would never come across or get the opportunity to use".

"So maybe a life of professional weaving for you then?", I asked him.

"Yes maybe, I'm open to anything!".

Ultimately, Daniel hopes to renovate the mill to the point where small groups of visitors could be welcomed in to see every stage of the traditional fabric making production line, with all the original machinery and techniques.

"Imagine now in the theatre of your mind, a weaving based theme park", he says.

"Now, I know that's very niche but that's basically what we're talking about. But a completely functioning woollen mill with the entire history of mechanised weaving mill from the mid 1800s all the way through the present day.

"There are so few places that you can actually see the entire process of that being done".

So would it be Weave World or Loom Land then?

"The plan is for Loom Land", Daniel says firmly.

Well I, for one, can't wait to buy a ticket.

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