Englee is 21 km south of Roddickton on Route 433. As you are driving into town you’ll see the municipal building on your left. The hallways in the building are filled with hooked mats made by local ladies.
The collection was made by 15 ladies from Englee, Bide Arm and Roddickton. They were all thrown out of work after a local fish plant closed in 2004. They enrolled in a program to learn new skills, including mat hooking.
Mat hooking or rug hooking has been a traditional Newfoundland craft. Old clothing was cut into strips and burlap bags from flour or potatoes was used as a base. The mats helped to warm up cold floors during the winter months.
The lower floor of town hall houses a studio with glass ovens. You can see the work and buy a keepsake made right in Englee.
The folks at town hall recommended that we do the Barr’d Island Trail. They gave us directions and information about the other trails in town.
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