News and Events

 The Museum is closed for the  winter. We are working hard on our plans for 2025, and we will be open again at the end of April so check in with us again soon. 

We will have a new summer exhibition for 2025. If you missed the 2024 exhibition which provided insight into the life and times of Newtown people at play towards the end of the 1800s you can find it on the Past Exhibitions page.

We will be offering a new series of workshops in 2025 as well as running our popular Tapestry Tuesdays.  The dates for these will be on the Events page as soon as they are available. 


Do you have an afternoon to spare - once a month, or every couple of weeks. Even when we are closed there is work to be done.  We would love to hear from you and you can help us keep the Museum open this year.  Go to How to help page

Check out the latest article on Newtown's water mills and their importance to the weaving industry on the History page

You can now explore our art 24/7 on ArtUK.

Make sure you read the story behind our Edward Salter watercolour. 


Our very own tour

We are excited to tell you that we have completed the English version of our walk-through tour. The Welsh version is also available here.  It helps visitors understand the building and the unique history of Newtown as well as making it more accessible for those with mobility issues. The historic nature of the building, limits access for some visitors and hopefully this  tour will allow these groups of people to enjoy our great little Museum. 

During the winter, you can get a good idea of the Museum and its history on this video and you will be able to come in person to see the Museum in the summer. 

Taith Amgeudda

Yn ystod y gaeaf, gallwch gael syniad da o'r Amgueddfa a'i hanes ar y fideo hwn a byddwch yn gallu dod yn bersonol i weld y Amgueddfa yn 2025

Here is John, our curator, on the loom floor of the Museum  filming  the tour with Gwyn  from Still River Films 

John, our curator working with film company

We are also really pleased to have worked with Dragon UAV on the drone footage used in the tour.  They are "Proud Supporters of Newtown Tourism - Dragon UAV 

Logos of funding organisations for tour

Weaver-in-Residence

Watch Rachel set up and weave on our loom

These videos, made in 2024, shows how much work is involved in weaving.   The first video shows some of the processes involved, and the second one follows the whole story from selecting threads and colours through to a final length of cloth.  
With thanks to Still River Films. and to Rachel who spent time with us in the summer and agreed to take part in these films.

The eternal beauty of weaving

Rachel describes the whole process of weaving in this excellent film.

Check out the shop

We have some new and unusual items for sale in the shop in the museum. 
Shop display Great and popular mugs Wood and wool sheep Wood and Welsh wool Colourful wall hangings Woollen and sheepish items
Family history

Linking families

Our own 'Who do you think you are' story connecting families with ancestors from Newtown!
Can you link your family to the cottages at our Museum?  We were excited recently when we had a message from New Zealand finding a connection to the Clayton family who lived in Penygloddfa and are incorporated into our story.
In 2016 a visitor came to the Museum seeking information about her ancestors - the Claytons - who lived in Commercial Street (then South Street) in the 1840s. She was not only pleased to see where they had lived, but she gave us information on several generations of the family, some of whom emigrated to Australia. We have been happy she let us use the Clayton story in the Museum.
Our most recent message came from another person who also linked her family to the Claytons, and it seems that the two family historians share  common great grandparents. We have put them in touch with each other - and as they both live now in New Zealand they may be able to share their stories in person. 
  Maybe you too can find a link to the Claytons in your family, or to other weavers who lived in Penygloddfa.  Check out the census information for  the area and do get in touch if you find your ancestors there. 

School visits

A couple of the local schools took advantage of the opportunity to visit the museum in March  2024 even though we were not yet open to the public.  It was great to welcome them and give them a glimpse into life in the mid 1800s in Newtown. 

 We welcome enquiries from schools, and are keen to work with them.  

School children looking at the loom School children talking about Victorian food

Accreditation granted

 We are delighted to tell you that we were awarded Full Accreditation by Arts Council England in 2023. We were congratulated on a very strong application which was the result of a lot of hard work by all those involved with the Museum, in particular the members of  the committee.  This status will help us going forward, in particular with applications for grants which are vital to our future. 
(For those unsure what Accreditation is all about, it means that we have been assessed against agreed standards for managing our collection properly, engaging with our visitors and being governed appropriately - all important things for running a museum well). 
Accreditation certificate

Laura Ashley Loan

Laura Ashley wedding dress. Do visit us to see this dress. 

The dress is vintage Laura Ashley, believed to be circa early 1980s. The sample label sewn inside shows a date of 25/7/85. It has been loaned to the Museum by Rory Evans and it is lovely to see it on display in the Amelia Ray draper's shop (even though it was made about 100 years after Amelia's shop was operating). Thanks Rory. 

The dress is believed to have been a sample piece which was then put into production. As such, it was never bought by a customer or worn as a wedding dress. It was apparently displayed in the window of the Laura Ashley shop in Newtown.

Detail on Laura Ashey wedding dress
Wedding dress and veil on display

Photographs - take your own

John Owen, Victorian Photographer - the subject of this year's exhibition

Recently the Museum has acquired a collection of photographs taken by John Owen of Newtown. He had a studio in Broad Street for about 40 years, and many Newtonians took advantage of his business to have their portraits taken.  Pryce Jones and his wife Eleanor Morris are shown in this image. 

 A dressing-up area and photo booth are part of the Museum now. Imagine yourself living in one of our cottages - a family with lots of children for example. 

Inspired by John Owen,  visitors of all ages will be able to try on some replica Victorian clothes and photograph themselves within our atmospheric Recreated Bedroom.   We hope it will be fun and interactive, and encourage repeat visits too!

Dress up, like Jo in our picture, or as a 'grease monkey' ( as the young lads were known) One of their jobs was to light the candles each morning so the weavers could start work while it was still dark)

Join in the fun of dressing up then take away your portrait photo as a reminder of your visit and post your photos on social media with the #newtowntextilemuseum tag.

Mr & Mrs Pryce JonesJohn Owen photo back showing shopJo dressed for a period photoDressing up for a period phot-shoot

Are you a bookworm? 

A recent visitor told us of a novel that referred to the flannel mills in Newtown: Not one of us by Alis Hawkins. We have started to put together a list of books which we are told feature the weaving industry in Newtown or just the life of the town which we will put on display for visitors. Check out this list for the suggestions so far:
We need help on two fronts? Have you heard or read any more books featuring Newtown and or the weaving industry in Wales.  And  do you have any copies which you could donate or lend to the Museum for this project. If you can help please contact Christine Davies on committee02@newtowntextilemuseum.co.uk  She would love to hear from you.

Images in the museum

We had a visit from a local photographer - Polly Lovegrove - some time ago  She took some great photos and a few are displayed below.  Thanks Polly.  ©Polly Lovegrove
Polly Lovegrove photo of work on loomPolly Lovegrove image of loom threadsPolly Lovegrove image of work with shuttle and threadsPolly Lovegrove image of loom floor