Tannery

This Tannery is from Rhayader, Powys (Radnorshire). It was originally built in the late 18th century & furnished c.1870 It was dismantled & rebuilt at St. Fagans in 1962

It was used for converting hides into leather and was the last traditional tannery to work in Wales. It specialized in producing heavy leather for boots and horse harness. The waterwheel is mounted externally on the gable wall and drove the grinder via a shaft through a pair of bevel gears. Oak bark was the main ingredient used in the tanning process and was stored and ground into powder in the large barn adjacent. The raw hides were soaked in an increasingly strong bark solution in the pits before being scrubbed on the stone table. They were then dried and rolled flat. The whole process took eighteen months._

The survey of the buildings is ongoing and additional information with regard to access floors, stairs etc are to be added

     Gorse Mill     St.Fagans, Cardiff

    Woollen Mill     St Fagans, Cardiff

The Tannery is one of the five buildings that have a water wheel at St Fagans  below are the others

click on any of the images to visit that page

     Saw Mill      St Fagans, Cardiff

       Corn Mill        St Fagans, Cardiff