Hunting for Crafts in Wales
Finding Welsh Pottery, Woolen Goods and Woodcrafts in the Bargain
Many Welsh craftspeople have their studios in picturesque villages. Seeking them out offers sightseeing rewards as well as mementos of your visit to Wales.
Travelers searching for traditional crafts in Wales will have a grand time. Not only will they find some wonderful pottery, textiles and other hand-made items, they’ll encounter charming villages, buildings and country lanes in their quest
Pottery
Though traditional potteries – the kind that 20 years ago were located in former flour mills and farm outbuildings – are fast disappearing, The Anvil Pottery in Llanrhaeadr (A525 between Denbigh and Ruthin) is housed in a building that until 1960 was occupied by the village smithy.
Most of today’s potters work on the smaller scale. Several dozen of these potters have studios where you can watch them at work.. If you visit a number of them, you'll find a wide range of products as well as designs. Though tableware is the primary product, commemorative pieces, tiles, coasters, personalized mugs, clocks, wall plaques, lamps and lanterns, picture frames, children's nightlights and mirrors are among the wide variety of articles produced. Among the more unusual items are chess sets and boards as well as figures of rugby players, miners and characters in Welsh myths.
Woolen Goods
Woolen weaving in Wales goes back nearly two thousand years. In fact, until the mid 19th Century was one of the country's major industries. After shearing on the hill-farm, the fleeces were washed and spun into yarn, then woven into blankets and cloth. Natural dyes colored the textiles and spinning wheels made by local crafts workers were used in most of the village cottages.
Among the most popular textiles produced today is tapestry cloth -- made in the traditional double cloth weight and the lighter single weave. At Brynkir Woollen Mill Ltd. at Golan (near Porthmadog), visitors can view the entire process from raw wool to finished bedspreads. Meirion Mill, housed in former railway and slate quarry buildings between the villages of Mallwyd and Dinas Marvodury in Mid-Wales, produces rugs and coats as well as items crafted from slate. Even if you don’t buy anything, views from the mill of the mountains and River Dyfi are priceless.
The Penmachno Woollen Mill near Betwsy-Y-Coed is a place to watch workers at their ancient craft of weaving the traditional patterns in Welsh Woolmark tweed. The mill is located by a trout stream in the magnificent Snowdonia Valley.
Traditional Woodcrafts
As far as traditional woodcrafts are concerned, bowl turning and spoon carving are the most important. Favorites with tourists are the intricately-carved lovespoons, which originally were crafted out of a single piece of wood on long winter evenings and offered by the carver to the lady of his choice. The Lovespoon Gallery in Swansea, advertised as “The world’s first gallery devoted to handcarved Welsh lovespoons, is said to have the largest selections of designs. You'll also find spoons at woodworking shops, along with bowls, hand-made rustic house signs, pipe racks, breadboards, stools, wooden jewelry, egg racks, mug trees and furniture in traditional designs such as rush-seated ladder back chairs and Welsh dressers.
There are other crafts -- paperweights, egg timers, table lamps and wildlife paintings on slate; wrought ironwork, hand-blown glass. One of the best places to see a variety of quality hand-made items all in one place is at the Corris Craft Centre near Machynlleth in Mid-Wales. There, ten craft workshops house artisans who create crafts ranging from children’s toys to jewelry. Information on where to find craftspeople is available at tourist information centers throughout the center. Two Internet sources that will help you plan your search are www.craftsinwales.com and info@walescraftcouncil.co.uk.
