Abstract: Apparatus for unwinding a nonwoven fibrous web from a roll thereof comprises a roll-bearing for supporting said roll on the underside of its periphery and a core-mounting in which the core of said roll is mounted to be adjustable in elevation relative to the roll-bearing. Said core-mounting is adjustable by a positioning drive under the control of a controller. To avoid an application of excessive loads to the web between the roll and the roll-bearing, the positioning drive is controlled by the controller in dependence on the pressure applied by the roll to the roll-bearing.