My Bosworth Journey Wheel

摘要

My 2016 Christmas present from my husband was an old spinning wheel. Not any old wheel though - a Bosworth Journey Wheel with interesting connections to a famous spinner and a famous weaver. Its history starts when it was sent to Peter Collingwood in December 1977, here's the accompanying letter (right). It must have been one of the first Journey Wheels, inspired by the design of charkhas. It had been spun on, but only just -maybe a quarter of a bobbin of very old greasy spun wool was on it. Peter obviously decided that spinning was not for him, or at least not on this wheel. It appears that in November 1991 he offered it to Mabel Ross. He sent her a Bosworth publicity leaflet and the wheel's instruction leaflet and was asking only £20 - a bargain even then.