LOCAL people are being invited to share their views on the future of the derelict Toneworks factory in Wellington, considered the most important site of its kind in the country.

Toneworks, in Milverton Road, housed the Fox Brothers wool and textile dyeing and ‘wet finishing’, the process of washing and drying.

The wool and cloth was produced at the nearby and now equally derelict Tonedale Mill, opposite Millstream Gardens and Weavers Reach.

It is believed to have the most complete set of historic textile finishing machinery in the country, making it of national and international significance.

Somerset Council and Wellington-based female-led conservation architects Thread have been closely involved in spending £19 million of Government money on saving what is left of the Toneworks site.

Now, they are holding a series of drop-in events this month for people to have an opportunity to meet the team behind the project to revitalise the industrial heritage site and talk about its future and what they would like to see happen.

The sessions will allow people to discuss the next steps and possible community uses for the Toneworks site.

The drop-in events will take place in Eliza House, in Fore Street, and are scheduled for:

The Toneworks factory formed a pivotal part of Wellington’s cloth industry and was in use from at least the 1750s until its closure in 2000.

Evidence of the evolution of water, steam, and electric power generation remains, along with a unique collection of dyeing and finishing machinery which contribute to the site’s special heritage significance.

Fox Brothers and Co employed generations of Wellington families, producing fine woollen cloth, including fabric used for British Army uniforms.

The former Somerset West and Taunton Council took on the Toneworks premises in 2020 and undertook a phased programme of works to start bringing the derelict site into better condition after winning Government Levelling Up and Historic England funding.

The focus of the four phases of repair so far has been to tackle the most structurally complex and urgent problems on the site, as well as a large decontamination phase which was required before any works could even take place.

Currently, the roof of the finishing shed is being repaired.

Developing a vision for Toneworks will help the council achieve its Levelling Up funding ambitions to secure a sustainable future for the site and bring it back into the heart of its community, to create a low carbon future, and deliver gains for nature as well as for people.

Wellington Town Council has contributed £50,000 to the restoration project despite most of the Toneworks site actually lying in neighbouring Langford Budville parish.

The town council has also been organising heritage tours of the site and its buildings which have seen hundreds of residents pass through and hundreds of pounds raised in donations.