Newtown Textile Museum is reopening earlier than usual this year – on Tuesday, April 23 – to host The Braid Society’s 30th Annual Exhibition which runs until May 11.

The earlier opening will also provide an opportunity for people attending the annual Wonderwool Wales 2024 event at the Royal Welsh Showground on April 27 and 28 to attend the exhibition.

The museum will be open on Tuesday April 23 and the following Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 12 noon to 4pm during the first week. Thereafter, it will open on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday each week from 12 noon to 4pm during the summer season.

As part of the exhibition, the museum, located in Commercial Street, Newtown, will also host demonstrations of braid making on April 29 and May 11 from 12 noon to 4pm and a “Try Braiding” workshop on May 5 from 10am to 4 pm.

To book a place at the workshop and for more information about the exhibition and future events at the museum, visit: https://newtowntextilemuseum.co.uk/events/.

Housed in an original handloom weaving factory, built in the 1830s, the volunteer-run museum aims to bring to life Newtown’s industrial heritage, showing how people lived and worked in the building and the processes involved in turning fleece into flannel.

In addition, industries linked to wool – tanning, clog making and drapers’ shops, including the Pryce Jones family who pioneered mail order – are also featured.

Newtown was the centre for handloom weaving in the 1830s and the museum is the last of 82 such buildings remaining in anything like its original condition. This handloom weaving factory comprised six back to back cottages with each having one room each on the ground and first floors that could each house up to 10 people. The two floors above, which ran the whole length of the building, housed the looms.

Feedback from visitors to the museum is overwhelmingly positive. “What a brilliant museum. One of the best I’ve ever been in!”, “Thank you so much for protecting and displaying our heritage so beautifully” and “Transported back in time and now want to try weaving,” are examples from last year.