Although industrial processing on the island was limited, Harris had a long tradition of tweed weaving and an early carding mill was established near Tarbert (in Direcleit) around 1900 to help local crofters process wool. As demand grew After World War 1, a wool-spinning mill was built at Geocrab in 1923. This water-driven mill was intended to supply machine-spun yarn to island weavers, introducing a mill-spun variety of Harris Tweed yarn to reduce costs and increase production. Initially, many islanders were hesitant; local weavers “refused to use it,” preferring traditional hand-spinning. As demand for Harris Tweed grew and market pressures increased, however the mill-spun yarn from Geocrab became an accepted part of production.
The mill building was originally powered by a water turbine fed via a cast-iron pipeline from a small loch on the hill above. Over the years, the core structure remained relatively unchanged, though later structures were made as technology evolved. The robust construction and the use of local stone in foundations ensured the building could be repurposed, as seen by its survival and evolved use today.
With the mills closure, this meant there were no longer mills operating on the Isle of Harris, only the Isle of Lewis. For the local community, the shutdown meant the loss of jobs and a local source of yarn, an economic blow to the Bays area. In subsequent years the old mill building found new life as a salmon hatchery, part of the island’s aquaculture industry and provided alternative employment in Geocrab.
