Heritage Hub 4 Mid Wales News

Robert Owen Utopian Legacy Exhibition

info@heritagehub4midwales.co.uk — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 12:09:50 GMT

Robert Owen (1771-1858) Utopian Legacy - Exhibition - 2nd May until 28th June - Newtown Library

Come and learn about the life and legacy of Robert Owen (1771-1858) Philanthropic Welsh Business & Social Entrepreneur who championed the poor and vulnerable. He was a pioneer of infant education and the co-operative movement.

The exhibition will tell the story of young Robert Owen growing up in the medieval market town of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Powys during the 18th century. Since Robert Owen was a great believer in the influence of your environment on the formation of ones character his story is a reflection of his early life in Newtown which helped develop his character and aspirations for his lifelong commitment to provide education for all and better working and living conditions for his workers and their community wellbeing.

This far-sighted utopian visionary man who was arguable born before his time, was one of the most original free thinkers ever to come out of Wales. “Distinctly contemporary, in equality, feminism, green issues and humane treatment of labour and infant education. His ideas on co-operative ownership and profit-sharing are still increasingly popular. All of which are relevant today. Owen’s Legacy lives on in business, politics and particularly in education.

This exhibition will also cover Robert Owen’s legacy of his New Lanark Mills which is now managed by New Lanark Trust as a UNESCO World Heritage visitor destination, with educational outreach partnerships. https://newlanark.org/

In 1825 Robert Owen bought into the biggest adventure of his life spending 125,000 dollars to buy George Rapp Harmonie Society and 20,000 acres of fertile land to establish his utopian community New Harmony in Indiana America.

This year marks their 200th Anniversary as Historic New Harmony which is preserved by the University of Southern Indiana and the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation. https://www.usi.edu/hnh https://www.facebook.com/historicnewharmony https://www.visitnewharmony.com/atheneum

Newtown’s Robert Owen Museum is open 11am – 3pm Mon-Fri but there could be some Saturday openings for the Birthday commemorations of Robert Owen. https://www.robertowenmuseum.co.uk/

Also take the Robert Owen Heritage Trail walk through Newtown and learn about the pioneers of Newtown.

FREE ENTRY - TO THE EXHIBITION IN NEWTOWN LIBRARY (2nd May - 31st May 2025)

While you are visiting the Robert Owen Utopian Legacy Exhibition you could also visit the Robert Owen Memorial Museum or take the Heritage Trail

https://newtown.org.uk/walk/town-trail-3-robert-owen-trail/https://newtown.org.uk/discover-newtown/walking-newtown/newtown-heritage-walk

Laura Ashley Cultural Heritage

info@heritagehub4midwales.co.uk — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 11:30:58 GMT

Free entry 'Laura Ashley Cultural Heritage' Exhibition Newtown Library 1st August - 31st August 2023

The Laura Ashley Cultural Heritage Exhibition is to share the cultural events that took place either at work or socially.

There was a annual tradition for Carno Carnival Queen and their attendants to choose their Laura Ashley dresses and fabrics each year.

'Do you have any family photographs of your daughters that became Carno Carnival Queen and her flower attendants' please bring along to the exhibition and share with A People's Story of Wales | Peoples Collection Wales or with https://www.heritagehub4midwales.co.uk/

Did you have a Carnival Queen or attendants that wore Laura Ashley dresses and would like to share your story then please bring along your photographs to the 'Laura Ashley Cultural Heritage' exhibition or contact info@heritagehub4midwales.co.uk

Do you have photographs and story of your choral group wearing Laura Ashley dresses then bring along to Newtown Library and share with www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk or www.heritagehub4midwales.co.uk

Do you have any photographs and stories to share of Laura Ashley fashion shows.

Heritage Hub 'For the Love of Laura Ashley' Exhibition at Machynlleth Powys

info@heritagehub4midwales.co.uk — Sat, 24 Jun 2023 14:28:14 GMT

'For the Love of Laura Ashley ' Exhibition at MOMA Tabernacle Machynlleth Powys 24th June - 6th September 2023

The Heritage Hub 4 Mid Wales has organised this exhibition in Machynlleth the Welsh market town that Bernard & Laura Ashley relocated to in 1961 and then bought terraced houses on Maengwyn Street which became their workshop and family home.

Machynlleth population is just over 2,000 inhabitants where the town clock junction leads you to the coastal towns of Borth and Aberystwyth or to Aberdyfi and north west coastal towns.

'For the Love of Laura Ashley' exhibition at MOMA Sculpture room will include a small collection of early Laura Ashley garments with some items which were bought from Laura's shop in Machynlleth in the 1960s.

We would like to thank Laura Ashley Collectors Ann Davies, Karen Morgan from At Laura Absolutely, Absolutely Everything Is Vintage Laura Ashley and Susan Robinson and Ann Evans the founder of the HH4MW for the loan of garments and Sue Beacher for the loan of her quilt, Jane Jenvey for the loan of her Tea Towel. Janet Price for the loan of two aprons.

Also floral display with the Bridal Gown and Bridesmaid from Vicky at Tymhorau Dyfi – Ecology – Land use – Craft

We would like to thank MOMA Machynlleth Staff and Trustees as well as Christine Anderson from Anderson Apparel Ltd Custom Apparel, Clothing, Designs, Pattern Cutting Services, UK (andersonapparelltd.co.uk)

Laura Ashley Heritage Quilt Exhibition March 2023

info@heritagehub4midwales.co.uk — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 13:57:00 GMT

Laura Ashley Heritage Quilt Exhibition March 2023

The Heritage Hub 4 Mid Wales organised the Laura Ashley Heritage Quilt exhibition to remind us of Laura's aspiration of producing small printed textile designs for patchwork. Which was a fond memory and tradition of her Welsh family roots of making patchwork quilts.

Brian Jones was a young self-taught artist from Newtown, Powys and was taken on by Laura in 1972 to translate her visionary ideas onto cotton fabrics and wallpapers initially. Then many product ideas evolved from her original beginnings of printing tea towels and head scarves when Laura hand was sewing and making finished products and Bernard made had made a small square screen printing press to print neck and head scarves like Audrey Hepburn wore in the film Roman Holiday.

As textile designs were created in a small design studio in Carno Railway Station, Brian loved taken home some examples of his hand painted designs which had literally come of the printing press. Brian's mother then started to sew these samples of fabric into family quilts. One of which was made for Brian's own bed. Now decades later, demonstrating the timeline of the garment fabric prints from the 1970s to the 1980s which were displayed in the Laura Ashley Heritage Quilt exhibition in Newtown Library for the month of March 2023.

Also on display was correspondence between Laura Ashley and Brian what seemed a lifetime of joy and fulfilment for Brian, as well as a dream and privilege of working with Mrs Ashley.

There were many other quilts on display with a special commissioned tribute quilt in memory of Laura Ashley legacy from the communities of Mid Wales. The founder of the Heritage Hub 4 Mid Wales Ann Evans a past Laura Ashley employee together with previous Laura Ashley textile designer Brian Jones discussed ideas of a unique quilt portrait of Laura Ashley. By chance they came across a self-taught British quilter Devida Bushrod who creates unique pixelated picture quilts.

Ann contacted Devida in the New Year and she immediately took up the challenge to make this unique quilt especially for the Laura Ashley 70th Anniversary exhibition in Newtown on Women's International Day. This quilt had taken 60 hours of work and was made from 1,500 pieces of fabric and 13 colours of fabric. Devida lives in Tulsa Oklahoma but was determined to complete this significant project on time with very little notice.

Nick Ashley letter to the Dream Team of Mid Wales. Nick had said his mother used to freely admit and was filmed stating she owed her success to the people of Mid Wales. There was not an awful lot of paid jobs for women back in the 60s and women were flocking to Carno to join the friendly atmosphere of working hours which were dictated by my mother who would leave work in time to pick up my siblings from school.

There was outworking from home with sewing machines provided and cut fabrics delivered and collected daily which was a winning formula for women with families and duties on their family farms. This two-way trust and respect was the very foundation of a working community. There is a deep tradition of this communal spirit in Mid Wales that continues to this day.

Bernard Ashley said at the 40th Anniversary of Laura Ashley business, when I started printing textiles in the 1950s with Laura I had no idea where our business was going to go. 'From the very beginning I was fascinated with textile printing and dyeing and quickly became involved in the processes and building of primitive printing machines to produce textiles and eventually wallpapers.

We had no capital to buy industrial printing machines and we certainly did not have have the space to put them so we improvised. We began in the city of London but we both yearned for the countryside. It was here in the Welsh valleys of Montgomeryshire where there was the rich natural lifestyle we loved and settled first in the market town of Machynlleth where we had our first workshop and family home. As we expanded rapidly in 1966 we searched for more space to grow and we happened to find a little village called Carno in Montgomeryshire Powys Mid Wales.

This exhibition explained the Welsh roots of this global phenomenon. More exhibitions and events will follow please check out the latest news.

Laura Ashley Heritage Plaque

info@heritagehub4midwales.co.uk — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 13:46:57 GMT

The Laura Ashley Heritage Plaque - with QR Code which can be scanned to link you to a brief history outline on the Newtown Heritage Trail.

Laura Ashley IP Holdings team with Vice President Poppy Marshall Lawton, the Mayor of Newtown Cllr John Byrne and Ann Evans the founder of the Heritage Hub 4 Mid Wales unveil the Laura Ashley Heritage Plaque on the old Laura Shop in Bear Lane Shopping Centre in Newtown, Powys on Women's International Day 2023.

The Laura Ashley Heritage Plaque QR code will link you to Newtown Heritage Trail and a brief history outline of Laura Ashley. This heritage plaque is part of the Newtown heritage trail walks of the town and includes the pioneers of Newtown you paved the way for others to follow and learn.

These pioneers were instrumental in creating significant employment for the hinterland communities of Machynlleth, Carno and Newtown and the economic regeneration and the wellbeing of communities in across Wales and beyond.

Montgomeryshire Member of the Senedd Russell George pays tribute to Laura Ashley

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:58:25 GMT

Russell George MS pays tribute to Fashion & Textile Designer Icon Laura Ashley on Women's International Day in the Senedd Welsh Assembly and the Heritage Hub for Mid Wales which has organised the Laura Ashley Heritage Quilt Exhibition in Newtown Powys to celebrate Bernard & Laura Ashley 70th Anniversary of their legacy.

Laura Ashley whilst working as a secretary for the National Federation of Women's Institutes visited a patchwork exhibition and this inspired her to develop her own printed textiles literally on her kitchen table in her home in London. After developing primitive textile printing and creating products like tea towels and head scarves this led to major orders and her journey to set up her home office and shop in Machynlleth Mid Wales.

It was in here in the Welsh hills and valleys of Montgomeryshire that enriched their passion for this global phenomenon of this iconic brand lifestyle of Laura Ashley in the heart of Mid Wales.

Bernard & Laura Ashley would often comment and have said that their dream team in Mid Wales played a significant role in the success of their family business.

The mission of the Heritage Hub 4 Mid Wales is to raise the aspirations of the heritage custodians and local authorities to digitally preserve the social history and heritage of this family business that became a global success. Provided economic regeneration for local communities worldwide by creating employment for thousands of families who worked for Laura Ashley.

The Heritage Hub is also campaigning for a physical Heritage and Educational Hub for Bernard & Laura Ashley in the heart of Mid Wales. Which would enable students and visitors to access archives and memories of this global brand which is embedded in the fabric of societies here in Mid Wales and around the world.

Promoting the awareness and recognition of Newtown Powys Pioneers

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 08:57:50 GMT

BBC FILM POWYS PIONEERS HERITAGE FESTIVAL

The Heritage Hub 4 Mid Wales aims and objectives are to enhance the awareness and recognition of Newtown Powys Pioneers who have been instrumental in the economic regeneration of Powys and beyond for centuries and have paved the way for others to follow and learn.

These pioneering entrepreneurs and social philanthropists Robert Owen, David Davies, Pryce Pryce-Jones and Bernard & Laura Ashley had created employment worldwide and the economic regeneration which have supported families in communities around the world.

By raising the aspirations of these pioneers cultural heritage custodians. Together with local authorities and the Welsh Government to develop the digital preservation of these pioneers legacies for future generations, this will lead to developing heritage led tourism opportunities for the benefit of local communities and the future economic regeneration of Powys Mid Wales and beyond.