Former Harris Tweed workers yarn about life in the mill

A new TV documentary sees ex-mill workers reunite to share their memories of this important part of island social history.

Produced by MacTV, Trusadh - Muinntir a’ Mhuilinn (Mill Yarns) brings together old colleagues to look back on the old tweed mills of Lewis.

While spinning a yarn in conversation, memories come up from years gone by on the mill floor.

The mills of Stornoway, Shawbost and Carloway in once employed thousands of people in all types of work from warpers, dyers, pattern makers and darners to cashiers, secretaries, drivers and designers.

As the main source of employment for decades, sons would often follow fathers and grandfathers into the mill.

With so many workers, the mills sometimes resembled small towns, grocery and bakery vans pitching up every morning and an on-site barber shop even operated on some mill floors.

Many an islander carved a life-long career in the industry and young men particularly were often sent off to mills in Yorkshire for their initial training.

In the boom decades, the mills were places of hard, often physical work, with long hours, but also places of comradery and high jinks where lasting friendships and indeed romances were formed.

The mill buildings dominated the skyline and were the cornerstone of island society and economy, providing employment not only for the mill workers, but the network of weavers producing the cloth on looms at their homes.

In Stornoway, Fridays would see a steady stream of weavers coming in from the country to collect their tweed money and bring news and chat from every corner of the island.

The production of the cloth today is much less labour intensive leaving the few surviving mills very different to the hey-days, there are, however, still people who are, thankfully, able to recount vividly what it was like to work in the island mills during the boom decades up to the 1990s.

The programme airs on BBC Alba on Monday 2 January 2023 at 9.30pm

Former Harris Tweed workers yarn about life in the mill

26 December 2022