Mill Open Weekend
TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE
We reckon there’s something for everyone this time and certainly more than enough to keep you occupied for a few days if planning to visit from further afield. We have a mixture of Spinning, Sweater and Sock Construction classes for your delectation, plus a series of fascinating talks and a designer panel with some of our favourite folks in the yarn industry.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS FOR TOURS, TALKS AND WORKSHOPS
Saturday 7th – Sun 8th of June, 2025
- Hours: 9:00am til 5pm (with FREE entry every day)
- Location: The Assembly Rooms, South Molton Town Hall, EX36 3AB
- Tours: We have tours around the Mill, with a minibus to take you to and from the Mill.
- Pop Up Shop: browse all our wondrous woolly wares and a few extra special limited editions too… more info on these coming later.
- Plus Special Guest Vendors: So chuffed to be joined by some fabulous guest vendors again. See the list below for info about all this year’s exhibitors.
- Workshops: View our full line up of Workshops & Talks and book a slot.
- All workshops include materials and come with a complimentary beverage of your choosing from the pop-up café.
- Talks: View our full line up of Workshops & Talks and book a slot.
- Café: We will be running a pop-up café offering teas, coffees and cakes.
- Will there be a Virtual Mill Open Weekend again? Yes, of course! This year’s dates are the 5th & 6th July. Read all the VMOW info
Our Mill in South Molton is one of only a handful of small-scale worsted spinning Mills still operating in the UK. This is where us marvellous Mill Folk create all our luxurious tops and yarns using vintage machinery and local fibre.
On this special weekend we are building a giant pop-up shop with all our woolly wares (plus a few limited edition delights) and our Mill will be open for tours, so you’ll be able to see and learn about our vintage spinning and processing machinery. Our trusty Mill Folk will be on hand to explain things as you travel through the Mill, providing you with a glimpse of how our yarn is made. Each tour offers the opportunity to wander around the Mill, soak everything up and ask as many questions as you fancy.
We have now expanded to a bigger venue, the beautiful 18th century function rooms in South Molton Town Hall. So we have oodles of space for workshops, talks and even a few other vendors – hurrah!
– We are so looking forward to seeing you in person again! xx
Accessible Schedule
GUEST VENDORS:
Lilliput Wight
Jo, the maker behind Lilliput Wight creates beautiful bowls, buttons and stitch markers inspired by the coast. Influenced by the textures and muted colours of driftwood and sea glass, Jo can often be found on the beach, bag in hand, searching for treasures. These beachcombed finds are used to make unique buttons, stitch markers and more. Colourful cotton rope is made into simple, elegantly shaped bowls and dishes.
Visit Jo’s website, here – lilliputwight.co.uk
Simply Vintage Designs
Simply Vintage Designs was born from a love of all things vintage and handmade. Combining these two passions, Melissa has created a product range specialising in unique craft products and supplies with a vintage twist.
Unique textile finds, vintage fabrics, laces and haberdashery. Beautiful and affordable treasures from the past. We can’t wait to snag some fabulous pieces!
Visit simplyvintagedesigns.co.uk for more info.
Eleanor Jane Studio
Eleanor, of Eleanor Jane Studio, has always preferred a handwritten, physical letter to emails, texts and phone calls. There’s something magical and special about opening an envelope, taking out crisp, good quality paper and realising that someone has thought enough of you to put their words on paper. That inspired her to create her own gorgeous, painted illustrations and stationery and we are thrilled she’ll be joining us this year.
Check out Eleanor’s creations, www.folksy.com/shops/EleanorJaneStudio
Magpie and Butterfly
Vanessa, the ceramicist behind Magpie and Butterfly creates bright, bold and quirky heirloom decorations, ceramic buttons and beads, jewellery and haberdashery items from her wonderful eclectic shop and studio in Cornwall. Every ceramic piece is unique, hand-formed, fired and glazed with care and we especially love her splendid pet decorations and can’t resist a few sets of her beautiful buttons for our next cardigan…
Find out more, magpieandbutterfly.com
Pop-up from Gullrock Fibres on Sunday 8th June
Sinead, the dyer behind Gullrock Fibres, will be hosting a talk, ‘Natural Dyeing – Art, Science and Wonder’ as part of our Mill Open Weekend shenanigans, where she will be sharing the chemistry of natural dyeing, the nitty gritty, and the reliable info we all need to get started. We are thrilled to say that she will also be vending on Sunday, and we can’t wait to pick up a few delicious skeins of her hand-dyed yarn.
Gullrock Fibres is a natural dye studio in Devon and Sinead is passionate about combining her manufacturing-engineering background with her love of materials, colour and texture. The dye plants are gathered locally and supplemented with responsibly sourced dried plants and extracts. Many of Sinead’s yarn bases are spun here at the Mill and are all nylon-free and non-superwash to retain their character and undergo as little processing as possible. We love ‘em!
Visit Gullrock Fibres, here gullrockfibres.com
HOW TO FIND US & FAQ:
Accessibility: A lift to the Town Hall Assembly Rooms is available just inside the Pannier Market on the left hand side (as you look at the building from Broad Street). There is also a stair lift available to access the lower level of the Assembly Rooms. A floorplan will be available nearer the time. Mill Tours have additional accessibility notes — please check the tour descriptions for details. Please drop us an email if you have any questions or concerns about accessibility.
Children: Children are able to attend the Mill Open Weekend, but due to health & safety restrictions, children under 11 cannot go on a tour of the mill, and any children between 11 and 16 must be accompanied by an adult over 18 on a tour.
Dogs: We love all dogs and all well behaved pooches are more than welcome to attend the Open Weekend. However, they will not be able to go on an actual mill tour. Thanks for your understanding.
Parking: There is ample parking in South Molton town centre, indicated on map below.
Directions: South Molton Town Hall is situated right in the heart of town, on Broad Street. We’ve created a handy map just below. Or you could always just pop the post code (EX36 3AB) into your sat nav.
Traveling From Far: If you’re travelling to Devon from further afield and have any questions about logistics, accommodation or travel tips, we’re always happy to offer an opinion. Please pop us an email with any questions you may have.
Prefer to Avoid Crowds: We find the Saturday is always busier than the Sunday. If you prefer things a little quieter then we would recommend coming either early on the Sunday, or later after the lunchtime rush. And if you need a quieter space once you’re here then just let one of us Mill Folk know and we’ll find a calm nook for you.
