Wool has a long and vital role to play in British history. As far back as medieval times it was observed that English wool had a particularly special quality to it. It’s very strong and the outside fibres are long, making them easy to spin. The innermost fibres are soft and dense and offered warm insulation. This was of course due to the sheep’s evolutionary adaptation to the British environment. This excellent quality of fleece was found to be most prolific in sheep grazed around the West Riding of Yorkshire where there still is extensive pastures to support the flocks. The streams and rivers of the Pennines offered a supply of fresh, soft water to wash, scour, dye and power the machinery. Yorkshire grew incredibly affluent, all thanks to wool, with the economy and employment of most towns and villages coming from the local wool mills. Most of these have sadly been closed for many decades, but the few that remain carry the flag for that once thriving British industry.
Are you sure you want to navigate away from this site?
If you navigate away from this site
you will lose your shopping bag and its contents.