Islay
Islay Woollen Mill
July 2017
Established in 1883 near Bridgend, Islay Woollen Mill occupies a Category A listed mill and bridge complex. Its historically significant interior retains a waterwheel and early textile machinery, including equipment transferred from a previous mill building. Gordon and Sheila Covell reopened the business in 1981 and later worked with their son Marcus to design and weave cloth.
At the time of these photographs in 2017, weaving was carried out on two restored Dobcross looms dating from the 1920s. The mill designed and produced tartans used in Braveheart and Rob Roy, the tweed suit worn by Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, and clothing worn by Tom Cruise in Far and Away.
Developments Since the Photographs Were Taken
A flood in December 2023 damaged the mill’s two looms. As of July 2026, the business reports that its tweeds are being woven on the Scottish mainland. The company remains active and its shop near Bridgend continues to operate, but the 2017 photographs document the machinery and on-site weaving process before the flood.
