Knockando Woolmill Trust is a charity registered in Scotland, charity number SCO30167.   

It was realised in the late 1990’s that the Knockando Woolmill was of international importance and that urgent work was required to save the site, its buildings and its unique collection of Victorian weaving machinery. The machinery had survived intact probably thanks to the isolation of the site, and to the hard work and devotion of successive weavers and their families.

A carding machine, a spinning mule with 120 spindles, a teasel machine for ‘raising’ the cloth and two Dobcross weaving machines built before the turn of the 19th century, were listed category A, even before the buildings were listed in the same category. Then a paper describing the history and value of the site was written by Andrew P K Wright, a well-known architect and industrial buildings conservationist. This paper formed the backbone of an appeal and in the year 2000 the Knockando Woolmill came first in Scotland in a competition organised by Griff Rhys-Jones in his BBC programme Restoration. The programme looked for Great Britain’s building most deserving of support. The Mill was beaten in the final of the competition, but by then a committee was in place with the aim of saving the Mill and all its contents for posterity. 

It took ten years of hard work by local people but by 2010 over £3 million had been raised and work began. Meticulously every bit of wood, every pane of glass, every brick and stone was saved and reused if at all possible. The Mill was formally reopened by the Duke of Rothesay (now King Charles III) in October 2012 and in 2016 the outstanding restoration work of the Mill was recognised by an award from the Europa Nostra organisation, a European Union prize for Cultural Heritage.

The Knockando Woolmill Trust is responsible for the site and its buildings, and has a responsibility to inform, educate and promote the story of its unique heritage. It is helped in this task with support from Historic Enterprise Scotland, and every effort is being made to keep the site as it has been since 1784, a producer and purveyor of unique and high quality wool and tweed goods.   

Presently, we have two apprentice weavers who are learning the trade at a weaving mill in Keith, and who will be taking their place in the Conservation Training Workshop, built during restoration to house two more modern Dornier looms. Their training is being supported by the William Grant Foundation. In due course, they will embark on learning the intricacies of working with the Victorian machines, and the Mill will ring with the clack of industrial machinery again.