Llanidloes - the flannel makers
10
Trouble at the mill
The disastrous fire which broke out at the Cambrian Flannel Company's factory on the banks of the River Clywedog, Llanidloes in November 1889 left little more than a gutted shell of the building, as shown in the photograph below.
The horse-drawn fire appliances and hand-pumps of the time were no match for large scale fires like this, even one on the river bank. The Cambrian Factory was rebuilt in 1892, and later became a leather works.
Cambrian factory
Llanidloes
Photograph by
kind permission of
Llanidloes Museum
by kind permission of
Cyrus Meredith
Many
of the mills and factories involved in the industry seem to have
been damaged or destroyed by serious fires at some time, including
the Spring Mills Factory. The photograph on the right is of one
such fire in Llanidloes, though which factory is shown is uncertain.
