SATURDAY, 9th FEBRUARY, 2019

‘All’s Wool that ends Wool’

St. Peter’s Parish Church, Moorhead Lane, SALTAIRE, Shipley BD18 4JH

We had two splendid speakers at this even on topics related to wool, a subject close to all our hearts, in fact, probably running through most of our Yorkshire veins…..

In the morning we were delighted to welcome back Dr Mike Bartle to present a fascinating film made in 1947 to promote Lister's Lavenda knitting wool.  The film showed the process of its manufacture and then the painstaking work the company undertook to prepare accurate knitting patterns for customers to use.

After an excellent lunch, we were all fascinated by the story of Abraham Moon and Sons Ltd of Guiseley, a local wool manufacturer in Guiseley, who in spite of thje demise of much of Yorkshire's wool industry has remained in production. It has recently expanded their 1880’s premises and is racing forward, thanks to watchful, energetic management and various ventures which have frequently kept them ahead of the pack,. Originally from America, Regina Lee Blaszczyk,s Professor of Business History at the University of Leeds told us Moon's story, the subject of her extensive research and her amazing 2017 book which really ‘sheds light on important questions about British industry, government policies on international trade, the role of multi-generational family firms etc....and is the first book to connect Yorkshire tweeds to the fashion system.’