COLDHARBOUR MILL
end of May Bank Holiday
Steam Up (Sun 25th & bank holiday Mon 26th May)
Woolly Open Day (Mon 26th May)
Alpacas On Show (Mon 26th May)
10am til 4pm
Coldharbour Mill, Uffculme, Devon EX15 3EE
Tel: 01884 840960
COLDHARBOUR MILL is happy to announce their STEAM UP and WOOLLY OPEN DAY events during the end of May bank holiday weekend...
Steam Up at the Mill...
During the last May bank holiday weekend on Sunday 25th and Monday 26th May, STEAM UP will be under way at the Mill. Witness the Mill’s rare 1910 Pollit & Wigzell 300hp steam engine, the even rarer 1867 Beam Engine and Galloway Boiler operating under full steam. Watch the boiler being stoked, creating a great head of steam to power the magnificent steam engine, which were once, alongside the Water Wheel, the main power source of the Mill. The steam engine and boiler have been lovingly restored by the volunteer Steam Team, who will be manning Steam Up and available to answer all your questions.
Woolly Open Day...
On the bank holiday Monday of 26th May, a Woolly Open day will be held at the Mill offering people a chance to learn a new craft or refresh a forgotten skill.
From 11am til 4pm skilled craft workers will demonstrate their skills in weaving, spinning, knitting, felt making and embroidery, allowing those watching to ‘have a go’. A great opportunity to learn more about local textile courses and members of Blackdown Hills Natural Fibres will also be on hand to discuss their latest projects, including fibre processing, felt making and weaving. All offered free as part of the Mill Steam Up self-directed tour ticket.
Alpacas On Show...
Also on the bank holiday Monday of 26th May, the Woolly Open day is proud to present some local Alpacas from Ashill Alpacas in Cullompton. These beautiful animals will be on show in the Mill grounds for visitors to see. Once shorn, the fleeces from many local Alpacas such as these are spun at Coldharbour Mill into luxurious yarns.
Affectionately known in this area as the ‘Devon Long Neck Sheep’, Alpacas are in fact relatives of the Llama and Camel. Since the days of the Incas, Alpacas have been raised for their fleece which spins into a fine, soft, warm fibre and makes luxuriant textiles. Alpacas are no longer peculiar to South America and there are now approximately 20,000 animals in the UK being successfully bred for their fleece, with a number of farms based in Devon and Somerset.
Kids Q&A...
The Mill offers something for kids of all ages and will be running a ‘hunt the Woolly Sheep Q&A’ around the Mill building. Visiting children can obtain a Q&A sheet from the Mill shop. The answers to each question will be uncovered during the Mill self-directed tour, with a small clue of cleverly positioned Knitted Sheep hinting at where the answers lie. Once the answers have been discovered and the completed Q&A handed in, a small sweetie prize will be given to each successful child.
So end of May Bank Holiday is full of Mill activities for the whole family ... On top of Steam Up and Woolly Open Day, local Alpacas on show and the Kids Quiz, Coldharbour Mill offers so much more ... the re-vamped, re-furbished and re-stocked Mill Shop brimming with yarns, fibres, books, textiles, craft accessories and toys ... the deliciously tempting Gill Box Restaurant ... plus the beautiful Mill grounds and gardens...