Page 15 - History-of-flooringLR

Wool has been used in carpets throughout Britain since
the 1500s, and here we take a look through the ages.

According to British Wool (formerly British of its members to the UK and international wool
Wool Marketing Board), the UK has more sheep textile markets.
breeds than any country in the world – over
sixty different breeds cared for by more than The Campaign for Wool is a global community
forty thousand sheep farmers. of sheep farmers, retailers, designers, manufac-
turers and consumers. The campaign officially
British Wool is owned by approximately 35,000 began in October 2010 with a launch event that
sheep farmers in the UK. The body collects, saw London’s Savile Row transformed into a
grades, markets and sells British wool on behalf pasture upon which fifty sheep grazed.

Prehistoric Primitive man clothes himself in wool from wild sheep
6000 BC Sheep domesticated in Europe
4000 BC Sheep introduced to the UK by Neolithic settlers
1900 BC Wool is spun and woven into cloth in Britain in the Bronze Age
55 BC Romans invade, bringing hornless, white-face sheep
700 AD Export of woollen fabrics to the continent
865 Danes invade, bringing horned black-face sheep
1066 Industry expands with Norman invasion
1100 Wool becomes the backbone and driving force of the economy and the
largest flocks of sheep belong to abbeys and monasteries
1331 Edward III encourages Flemish master weavers to settle
1349 Black Death decimates the population, leading to increase of sheep flocks
and not enough people to cultivate arable land
1500 England is largely a nation of sheep farmers and cloth manufacturers
1750 Industrial Revolution causes upheaval with new inventions to speed
up the processes of spinning and weaving
1760 Robert Bakewell introduces selective breeding – his improved
New Leicesters exist today as the Leicester Longwool
1770 Manufacturing conurbation begins to take shape – Leeds, Bradford,
Halifax, Huddersfield, Wakefield
1812 Luddite riots – equipment destroyed by organised bands of workers who
fear they will lose their jobs. East Anglia, where opposition is most bitter,
never recovers. Yorkshire thrives where machinery is more readily accepted
1847 Lancashire and Yorkshire railway stretches across the country from Liverpool
to Goole, providing outlets for exportation all over the world. Yorkshire
thrives with local supplies of soft water, coal, sandstone and sheep
1939 Wool Control established so industry can provide clothing for the forces
1950 British Wool set up to collect, grade, sell and promote wool
Source: British Wool

The benefits of wool in flooring*
• Wool is natural and sustainable as it’s a by-product of animal welfare
processes that keep the sheep healthy.
• Wool can significantly improve indoor air quality as it is proven to
absorb common pollutants in the home, such as formaldehyde and other VOCs.
• Wool is naturally resistant to absorbing stains and the spread of fire.
• Wool is both durable and beautiful and has natural elasticity, meaning it can bounce back.
• Wool carpet can provide a luxurious feel and can make homes cosy and warm.
• The British climate helps make the wool one of the strongest wools in the world,
which makes it a great fit for use in carpets.
*https://woolcarpet.co.uk/about-us/
www.britishwool.org.uk
www.campaignforwool.org

The History of Flooring 15