Corris Craft Centre

Corris Craft Centre is a craft and leisure complex in Corris, on the A487 near Machynlleth, mid-Wales. It is sometimes referred to as King Arthur's Labyrinth, one of the attractions on the site. Celebrating 40 years in 2022.

Units at the Corris Craft Centre
Units at the Corris Craft Centre
The entrance to King Arthur's Labyrinth

The craft workshops

Winter opening is limited, The Cafe, Welsh Deli and a few studios open Wednesdays to Sundays until 18 December. The centre, which opened in 1982, comprises 9 workshops, with resident craftspeople:[1]

  • Quarry Pottery - Home of the Smoking Dragon
  • Agau Jewellery Studio - Celtic and Contemporary Jewellery
  • The Candle Studio - Dipped and Carved Candles
  • Chocablock - Handmade Chocolates, Truffles and Fudge
  • Delyn Glass - Flamework and Glass Sculptures
  • Taran Eco Designs - Funky Rustic Forest Furniture
  • Hyde and Sheep- Handmade Leather and Woolen Gifts
  • Dyfi Distillery - Craft Gin with Wild Welsh Botanicals
  • Sammi Wilson Art - Mixed Media Artwork and Photography

[2]

Some of the studios also offer hands-on sessions, for visitors to have a go at making their own crafts, such as painting pottery, making chocolates, and dipping candles.[3]

Braichgoch Slate Mine
Main article: Braichgoch Slate Mine

The centre is built on a landscaped part of the old Braichgoch Slate Mine, and the presence of these underground workings has presented the opportunity for other related attractions at the Craft Centre site, for which a charge is made :

  • King Arthur's Labyrinth is an underground storytelling adventure, where visitors sail underground through vast caverns and winding tunnels, and through a waterfall to the past. Hear tales of King Arthur and other ancient Welsh legends are told with dramatic scenes, light and sound. It takes place on one level of the mine.[4] The King Arthur's Labyrinth shop sells a wide range of books, gifts and souvenirs on the Celtic Arthurian theme.
  • Lost Legends of The Stone Circle is a further attraction where visitors find mythical stories, intriguing characters and The Stone Circle whilst navigating the snaking paths of a simple maze. It's suitable for all ages and can be explored at leisure with a pushchair, and also by wheelchair users.[5]
  • Corris Mine Explorers is the name of another activity which starts from the Craft Centre. This provides an opportunity to explore the abandoned workings of Braichgoch Slate Mine, an old Welsh slate mine, first worked in 1836 but abandoned by the miners in the early 1970s. Equipment and discarded personal belongings remain untouched as relics of Welsh industry.[6]

The Upper Corris Tramway, a 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) gauge horse-worked tramway which connected the slate quarries around the villages of Corris and Corris Uchaf with the Corris Railway at Maespoeth Junction, passed along the edge of the current site.[7]

Food and drink

The Craft Centre cafe serves a delicious all day menu where locally sourced fresh produce is used across the menu. As part of the centre's 30th Anniversary, a new Welsh food and drink shop was opened adjacent to the café, called The Welsh Deli [8]

There is a children's play area, next to outdoor seating and picnic tables.

Opening hours

All of the Craft Centre Studios open daily from Easter to November, although some are open all year round.[9] Access to the site is free.

Y Crochan café and Bwtri Y Crochan are open daily from Easter to the end of October. Opening times vary at other times of the year.

Corris Mine Explorers is open all year round, although during particularly quiet times, trips may only run if there is sufficient demand.

King Arthur's Labyrinth and Lost Legends of The Stone Circle open every day during the season.

See also

References
  1. "Unique shopping experience at Corris Craft Centre, Mid Wales with nine craft workshops". Corriscraftcentre.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  2. "The Craftspeople and their Crafts". Corriscraftcentre.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  3. "Hands-on-Fun". Corriscraftcentre.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  4. "Family visitor attraction and day out in Corris, Mid Wales - King Arthur's Labyrinth". Kingarthurslabyrinth.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  5. "Lost Legends of The Stone Circle". Kingarthurslabyrinth.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  6. "explore Braich Goch, a Welsh slate mine near Corris in Mid Wales, a unique activity day out with mining quarrying history". Corris Mine Explorers. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  7. Alun John Richards (2001). The Slate Railways of Wales. Gwasg Carreg Gwalch. ISBN 978-0-86381-689-5.
  8. "Where to Eat". Corriscraftcentre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2013-05-29. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  9. "When we are Open". Corriscraftcentre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2013-05-16. Retrieved 2013-06-02.

52.6546°N 3.8505°W / 52.6546; -3.8505

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.