Barge to retrace route of trans-Pennine wool trade over 200 years

A barge containing bales of wool is re-enacting the journey from Liverpool to Saltaire to retrace the steps of the 200-year-old trade route for transporting wool.

Once the Kennet reaches Saltaire on October 11, the bales will be blended and scoured in Bradford before Guiseley-based Abraham Moons makes the wool into a suit.

Tomorrow the barge will dock in Skipton where a bale of British wool will be loaded for the final leg of the journey. The barge’s journey began on August 15 in Liverpool, loaded with wool from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The journey recreation will celebrate the third year of HRH The Prince of Wales’s Campaign for Wool.

The UK wool industry is making a resurgence with British mill production output increasing by 12 per cent in 2011.

The price of wool has also increased significantly over the past few years. Wool was priced at auction in Bradford at 38p per kilo in 2008, but last year the price rose to 160p per kilo.

In 2009, Britain produced 32 million kg of wool and this increased to 40 million kg in 2011.