About Martin

After serving in Her Majesty’s Royal Marines for many years, then working in Domestic Service in Surrey, I decided to return to my roots here in Anglesey to convalesce from a spinal injury. Not being one suited to a sedate life I decided to establish Moelfre Leather Workshop in an old building close to the seafront in Moelfre and fall back on experience gained abroad whilst serving with the Marines which was western saddle making and hand tooling leather.

I found that over the preceding years with the help of the local traders and Moelfre community as a whole, my knowledge of making and repairing leather goods grew to a point where it was prudent to take advantage of technology and have my own web site constructed.

I found it a very stimulating profession as each day brought a new challenge in the variation of work required from a second world war artificial leg that had broken at the main strap for a visitor from Germany to making custom made replica leg ‘o’ mutton flintlock pistol holders for a Napoleon re-enactment group. After eight years of taking every job that came through the door and the expansion of the web site, it was decided the time was right to move from the 12ft x 12ft workshop, which had played its part in evolving the new look workshop and transfer to bring life back into the old bakery in Marian-glas, which had ceased trading some 27 years ago.

Taking on the new name of The Leather Workshop, and with thanks to all my friends and colleagues at Moelfre Lifeboat Station who made it possible by becoming removal men, painters, fitters and chimney installers. We opened the new workshop in January 2005 and have not looked back since, receiving orders and commissions from across the British Isles and abroad.

I seem to be one of a very small band of traditional master craftsmen who prefer the old working practices combined with modern technological developments in the computer age.

I love the challenge of being given a treasured antique and being able to breathe new life into it again turning it from a discarded old bag fit only for the bin into a well loved and well looked after heirloom.

I really think it is time Anglesey and Wales, which was a hive of industry and craftsmanship in its era, was put back on the map again and sing its own praises. In many areas of Wales we are becoming the innovators of traditional craftsmanship again proud enough to hold our heads up to the rest of the world.

Over the last two years the Leather Workshop has become far bigger than we all expected, demand for restoration and bespoke leather goods exceeded all our wildest dreams. We have now re-located the whole house, workshop and various animals, horses etc, to a new and bigger location on the N/W side of Anglesey close to Rhosneigr.

Always here for you the customer,

Martin Ashworth