The collection was accumulated by Llanrwst Almshouse Trust and consists of documents, photographs and plans relating, mainly, to the Llanrwst tannery, previously known as Edward Mills Limited, and also some records concerning the Llanrwst Almshouse, London House and Llanrwst County School.
The, by no means complete, Edward Mills collection consists of articles of association, business and financial records, correspondence, instructions and spare parts manuals for tannery machinery, business directories, advertisement brochures and catalogues dating from between the early 1930s and 70s. Within the collection there is one photo directly relevant to tannery machinery. The letters of correspondence give a good insight into the way the business was run and the importance of the business's agent as a go-between between the tannery and customers. The letters also give a very small glimmer of the global current affairs of the time, and how they may effect even a small companies business stratergies. For example a few letters show the tannery's reaction to the political turmoil in South Africa in the 60s, suggesting the tannery considered re-evaluating, and may have acted upon, its business relations with a customer there.
Due to the incomplete nature of the collection it is very difficult to make sense of changes seen in the available correspondence and business records: whether these changes suggest the business grew in size, merged with a larger business or if some of the correspondence simply refers to more than one business.
The rest of the collection consists of miscellaneous gifts to the Trust, including a few school magazines for Llanrwst School dated 1936 and 1937, articles of association for W.S. Williams dated early 19th century, a number of advertisement brochures and building designs for London House and a few documents describing almshouse regulations.
One other folder within the collection gives descriptions and instructions on the usage of explosives within quarrying operations.