Stansborough Mill

Famous for its costumes featured on ‘The Lord of the Rings’, Stansborough creates beautiful heritage woven textiles using homegrown wool.

The family-owned company makes everything from scratch. It uses the finest wool from a unique breed of grey sheep, reared on the Stansborough farm in the Wairarapa region. The wool is then woven into delicate textiles using six historic worsted looms.

At the Stansborough mill and storefront in Petone, you can buy woollen blankets and throws, scarves, baby clothes, and toys. Fans of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ can even pick up a replica Elven cloak. 

Everything about Stansborough’s products is New Zealand-made, right down to the labels and bespoke packaging. Owner Cheryl Eldridge is proud of her company’s locally-made ethos.

“Any of the processes or products that we can’t take care of ourselves we outsource to other New Zealand companies. Even the historic looms have come from old woollen mills around the country. We collected them over the years and brought them back here to the old woollen mills in Petone,” she says.

Stansborough is known across the film and textile industries for its quality craftsmanship. Its list of customers includes movie makers, interior designers, boutique hotels, and even royalty.

The Stansborough mill also doubles as a gallery. You can see the historic looms operating through a ‘window to the past’. Or book in for a behind-the-scenes tour. You’ll get to learn about the history of the mill and see the historic looms in action.