The Stroudwater Textile Trust was established in 1999 as successor to the Friends of Stroud Museum Textile Group. A group of local people wanted to promote awareness of the past importance of the woollen industry in the Stroud Valleys and to celebrate contemporary textiles.

Historically woollen cloth manufacture has been important in the Stroud valleys since medieval times. The local streams are dotted with mill sites and their courses have been straightened and interrupted with weirs and millponds over the ages. Towns like Stroud and Nailsworth developed because of the industry while more ancient foundations like Cirencester, Dursley, Painswick, Tetbury and Wotton under Edge prospered. Besides British markets the cloth was sold to Europe, the Native Americans and Asia in such large quantities that at one time there were over 170 mills working.

Today many of these mills are industrial sites but there remain many fine buildings echoing past prosperity. The tradition of fine woollen cloth manufacture continues with the firm Millikens WSP which manufactures top quality snooker and tennis cloth for the world at two ancient mill sites.

The Trust celebrates this proud tradition by:

• Running the Dunkirk Mill Centre near Nailsworth where a magnificent waterwheel drives some of the historic "finishing" machinery that we demonstrate there.
• Running the Weaving Shed at Gigg Mill, Nailsworth where visitors can experience handloom weaving before watching demonstrations of the flying shuttle and a power loom.
• Opening two other historic mills. St Mary’s has a large waterwheel and a Tangye steam engine. At Stanley visitors can watch demonstrations of carding machinery and spinning mules in a grade 1 listed building.
• Providing guided walks and lectures on the woollen industry of the area
• Carrying out an expanding educational programme in local schools
• Mounting exhibitions and saving material associated with the industry
• Carrying out research into the history of the local woollen industry and working with Stroud and Nailsworth to create historic walks around the towns.

The Trust is working to establish a Textile Centre in Stroud where some of these activities can be celebrated on one site.

Select Open Days under "Visit Us" on the main menu for a complete list of open days during 2009.