This winter I visited a piece of my husband's family past, Tonedale, in the Southwest of England. His great ^6 grandfather, Thomas Fox, began the first ever Twin Vertical Woolen Mill (twin meaning they produced both worsted and woollen fabric, and vertical because they did the whole process: took in the wool and sent out the finished cloth). In seven generations, twenty-nine members of the family worked in the factory. It is now sadly empty, but much of the history lives on through stories and artifacts.
Like these awesome sample books Ben's uncle showed me dating from 1909-1920. Knowing my love of everything fabric related, especially plaids and wools, he knew I would be ecstatic!
The nearby family house is still owned by the family and is rented out for meetings and parties. Here is a picture of the Tone Dale House in the summertime.
On a somewhat tweed-related note, Smoking Lily is a friendly supporter of the Tweed Ride Victoria on May 7, 2011. The ride is raising money for Bikes Without Borders, aiming to help send stretcher-bikes to the African nation of Malawi.
Sign up today at http://tweedridevictoria.com/
