IN A SPIN

Purl English is located amongst the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, or the “wolds” as the locals know to call this gently rolling landscape.

This is sheep country, in fact the heritage of this area is tightly bound to the wool trade. The honey-hued ancient towns have constant reminders of this history with a ’ Sheep street’ being omnipresent. Wide banks of grass often line these medieval thoroughfares where the sheep would have been penned to sell off on market days. The beautiful architecture that is so representative of the Cotswolds, is a reflection of the wealth that the woollen merchants amassed during their long-lived posterity.

Pottering around in nearby Witney, one such traditional Cotswolds market town , known for the manufacture of woollen blankets. I was delighted to find a shop of great interest that had opened specialising in all things woolly.

Huge baskets of slubbings in beautiful natural hues and spinning wheels in the window. I chatted with Lyn, the owner who intends to run spinning classes, not the fitness craze, but good old-fashioned spinning wool from the fleece with a spinning wheel, as well as courses on other textile related crafts.

If you are local to Witney or visiting the Cotswolds seek this little haven out – it brought a smile to my face.