Tanning trade still going strong T


HE traditional craft of sheepskin tanning will be accessible for all to see at Devonia Sheepskins’ visitor centre and


shop this year. This new venture will give the opportunity for members of the public to view many of the actual processes required to convert a raw sheepskin into a luxurious rug and also see a variety of finished sheepskin products. The once seen, never forgotten, Slocombe Staking machine, a very traditional leather softening machine, can be seen in the viewing area and if you’re lucky you may even see a demonstration. Documentary evidence indicates that on the


large site in the centre of Buckfastleigh where Devonia Sheepskins operates there has been a tannery for more than 200 years. In 1806, a Mr Hamlyn and a Mr Hayman (tanner) began a tanning operation which subsequently evolved into Hamlyn Brothers Limited a business that encompassed not only tanning but also fellmongering (the name given to the process of removing the wool from a sheepskin), wool scouring, spinning and weaving. This was the reason that Buckfastleigh is known as an ancient woollen town. In the 1920s, the business was acquired by the Co-operative


Wholesale Society (CWS) and remained under its ownership until 1987. During this time the woollen mills closed down but the sheepskin processing operations continued. During the next 12 years the ownership of the business changed hands on several occasions and the operation downsized as a consequence of the closure of the fellmongery. What remained was a sheepskin tannery


employing a highly skilled, experienced workforce with a strong belief that there was a long term viable future for their business and this conviction was boosted when the Axminster Carpets Group purchased the company in March 1999. Since this time Devonia Sheepskins has developed a clear business strategy ably supported by its parent company that saw a synergistic link between sheepskin rugs and its renowned wool carpets. Devonia Sheepskins produces and supplies quality sheepskins into the home marketplace. Most of these would be for use as decorative rugs but also it supplies sheepskins for use in footwear, clothing and automotive products to name but a few.


In recent years Devonia Sheepskins has concentrated its efforts by promoting its sheepskins in the UK market as a British made product. Most of the sheepskins sold by major retailers in the UK are sourced from animals reared in Australia or New Zealand, made into sheepskins rugs in China and subsequently shipped to European markets. Devonia is keen to offer customers a local quality product. Devonia Sheepskins has also focused more


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