I used to walk this way, through Salts Mill's yard, almost every day when I was at work. It was either a good lunchtime walk to stretch my legs or, occasionally, a different route home. I rarely need to use this path any more, though I always enjoy seeing the big mill chimney at close quarters.
Plaques on the wall remind us that alpacas were the source of the wool that made Sir Titus Salt's fortune. He was one of the first to use it at a large scale, combining it with sheep's wool to make a fine and lustrous cloth.
The sliding doors on the warehouses along this route are usually closed, so I was delighted to find them open and to get a glimpse inside... huge bales of raw wool!
This is the premises of H Dawson, 'Wool Experts since 1888'. I've looked at their website HERE and find that they source, grade and clean wool for supply to other businesses, who use it in a variety of ways in soft furnishings, mattresses, wadding, pillows, carpets, yarns and knitwear. It seems eminently fitting that there is still a wool heritage craft located in this great temple of the wool industry. Long may it continue.
It is good to see that wool still plays an important role there!
ReplyDeleteLove the relief of the alpaca. Until I read about it on your blog, I always thought wool business in England was all about sheep.