A Hardwearing Cloth

FLOCKS of sheep cluster the hills and valleys on both sides of the River Tweed, which forms the border between England and Scotland. Their fleeces maintained a vast weaving industry.  At one time mills dotted the streams which fed the river. Today one on each side of the river still remain and can be visited.  Tweed clothing exudes the very spirit of these hills.

Tweed is a rough surfaced woolen cloth, frequently of mixed colours. It was originally called tweel, a Scottish form of twill, a cloth with a surface of parallel diagonal ribs formed by passing the weft-threads over two or more warp-threads. Tweel was miswritten as tweed by a London based receiving clerk and the name stuck. The cloth and its new name went worldwide wherever hardwearing material was needed.

Otterburn Mill began production during the 18th Century. It was a privately owned family business which ceased manufacturing cloth in 1976. Otterburn still maintains its tradition of selling only high quality textiles including one of the largest selections of outdoor clothing in the North East of England.  It also retails craft products.

It still promises visitors that thy will receive an unrivalled friendly level of service while being offered the very best in quality and value. The mill owners are determined that there customers will be satisfied and return time after time to shop in the very heart of Northumberland.

Their large showroom is housed in the original mill building alongside a small museum which contains archive material, machinery and tools that were once associated with the former flourishing local weaving trade.

Otterburn Mill presented one of their travelling rugs to Queen Alexandra when she was visiting Alnwick Castle. It was a soft blue rug, the first ever to be woven in a plain colour by special request. The Queen was delighted with the rug, suggested that the company could produce something similar but only a quarte of the size which would be suitable for a baby’s pram rug. The mill began producing pram rugs and presented one to the Royal Family for the birth of Queen Elizabeth II in 1926.

The Otterburn Pram Rug, with its soft texture, made from pure new wool is still one of the mill’s best selling products. Otterburn Mill has ample free parking, a large coffee shop and houses a tourist information centre. It is open seven days a week and stands on the A696 Road, a few miles south of the Scottish Border. More details can be obtained on 01830 520225.

A major tourist attraction near the mill is the site of the battle of Otterburn in 1388.

Trowmill stands two and a half miles north of Hawick on the A698 Road to Jedburgh. It is still a working weaving mill which produces tweeds, tartans, travelling rugs, scarfs, etc which are intended for both home sales and the export market.

The adjacent shop sells merchandise which has been produced in the mill at genuine factory prices. It also retails many other products of high quality.

A leaflet which guides visitors through the manufacturing unit and also explains all the various processes in the production of cloth is provided by the owners of the mill and shop, who welcome the opportunity to meet customers and show them around the premises. The venue can be contacted on 01450 372555.

The shop is open from 09:30 to 17:00 on Mondays to Saturdays and 10:00 to 17:00 on Sundays.  The mill itself is open to the public from 09:00 to 16:00 on Mondays to Thursdays and 09:00 to 11:30 on Fridays.  It remains closed over the weekends and on local holidays