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This year is our 30th Anniversary Year The candle-making business at Cilgwyn was started 30 years ago by Inger and Brian John when they moved to the area from County Durham. Inger has always been the candle-maker, and Brian has provided the moral support as well as humping tonnes of wax about and building display stands for craft fairs etc. Partnership is the name of the game. At first, the business was run from a lock-up garage across the yard from the house, but in 1982 the garage was demolished and a new building put up in its place. This building now houses the workshop and the mini-museum downstairs and the gallery upstairs. Space is very tight, and there is only room for one person to make candles at a time. The essential items of candle-making equipment in the workshop are a boiler for holding water and molten wax, a simple rack which can be lifted up by a pulley when candles need to be trimmed, and lots of metal coat-hangers from the dry cleaners. There is also a small heating ring for melting small quantities of wax in a saucepan. That is all! Not exactly high-tech, but candle-making is a craft, and the candles which Inger makes are successful and very beautiful because she has a steady hand, an instinct for colour combinations, and an encyclopaedic knowledge of how molten wax behaves. In the early days of the business, Inger sold most of her dipped candles through the trade, supplying to craft shops and gift shops all over the UK and further afield. Gradually, however, the workshop began to attract visitors, and after many years of building up the business over 10,000 people call at the workshop each year. The Pembrokeshire Candle Centre is now one of the prime visitor attractions in North Pembrokeshire, and most of the annual output of candles is sold straight from the premises to new visitors and faithful “regulars” who call again and again and again....... One of the most beautiful things about candles is that they are meant to be destroyed. And once they have brightened up somebody’s life and have faded away, they need to be replaced! Pembrokeshire Candle Centre Trefelin, Cilgwyn, Newport, Pembrokeshire SA42 0QN Tel 01239 -- 820470 Fax 01239 -- 821245 | ||||||||||
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How to find us We are at Cilgwyn bridge, about 2 miles from Newport. Follow the brown signs from A487 at the east end of Newport, or from the B4329 at Tafarn-y-Bwlch
Your visit to the Pembrokeshire Candle Centre will also give you a chance to discover one of Pembrokeshire’s most beautiful secret valleys. The hamlet of Cilgwyn lies in a sheltered hollow at the entrance to Cwm Gwaun and beneath the rocky peak of Carn Ingli -- right at the heart of Bluestone Country. Inger John provides a warm welcome to all visitors, who can see hand-dipped candles being made without any mechanical aids. Her candles are created with unique graded colours and with exotic scents including specially blended essential oils. The workshop is a real “Aladdin’s Cave” packed with candles of all shapes and sizes; most are made on the premises, and others are imported from all over the world. Also in stock are candlesticks of many types, snuffers, lanterns, oil burners, accessories, candle-making kits, and books of local interest. We try to keep a constant eye on the latest trends, so there is always something new when you next call. Next to the workshop is Britain’s smallest museum, with fascinating displays relating to the history and traditions of candle-making right back to Roman times. Upstairs is a gallery featuring larger and unique items designed for enlightenment -- candlesticks, candelabra, wall sconces, floor-standing candle holders, and specially-commissioned items from local craftsmen and artists.
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