The London Cloth Company, London's first micro-mill, was established in 2011 by Daniel Harris.
The company was formed when Daniel rescued an old and rusty loom from a barn in rural Wales, naively thinking he only needed to source a small hand bobbin winder.
Dismantling and reassembling a machine that hadn't been touched for 30 years, he quickly taught himself the complexity of the different parts of a loom and learnt the craft of weaving.
Here at the Woolmill, Knockando is home to two 90-inch Dobcross looms.
Manufactured in 1896 and 1899, these are the earliest looms Daniel has come across. "I think the earliest one I have is from the 1930's."
Having assessed both looms Daniel is now looking forward to undertaking the refurbishment of our 1899 loom. He intends to retain as much as possible of the original loom. Daniel believes that this "shouldn't be too difficult”.
Upon his detailed inspection, Daniel was surprised at the condition of the machines. "I've found looms from the 1950's that have been in worse shape than this!"
The Mill’s loom is powered by a flat belt overhead line shaft which is unusual. "I can't think of any other Dobcross loom in the country that is being run in this way. It is definitely worth coming to see - just for that."
Daniel will make a return visit to the Woolmill in the spring to undertake the restoration work.
