Halifax's Wool Trade Heritage:
From Mills to Markets
The Foundation of a Town
In the middle of the 19th century, wool was the lifeblood of Halifax. It wasn’t just an industry—it was the reason the town existed, the reason families settled here, and the reason fortunes were made and lost on the strength of a single fleece. From the 1840s onwards, Halifax transformed from a scattered moorland settlement into a bustling manufacturing hub, all because of one commodity: wool.
Dean Clough Mills
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The Sorters and the Mills
The backbone of Halifax’s wool economy was the sorter—the skilled worker who could examine a fleece and determine its grade, quality, and value with nothing more than experience and a trained eye. These men were the gatekeepers of the trade, and their expertise commanded respect and decent wages for the time.
By the early 1900s, the major mills employed dozens of sorters. Jonathan Akroyd at Bowling Dyke employed between 60 and 90 men as woolsorters. The Crossley and Sons operation at Dean Clough Mills ran 60 to 70 sorters, whilst Whitworth’s at Lee Mills and Holdsworth’s at Shaw Lodge Mills each employed around 40 men in the same role. Even smaller operations like Illingworth’s at Stone Dam Mills and J. and J. Baldwin’s at Clark Bridge Mills maintained their own sorting teams.
A little further afield, Midgley’s at Netherton Mills employed 25 sorters, whilst B. and H. Broadbent (who built Bradshaw Mills) kept their own workforce and maintained control over their wool supply. These weren’t just factories—they were communities within communities, where skill and reputation determined your place in the hierarchy.
drying houses on Old Lane
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The Warehouse Network
The wool didn’t flow directly from sheep to mill. Instead, a sophisticated network of wool warehouses emerged across Halifax, each one a hub of activity where wool was graded, stored, bought, and sold. These warehouses were scattered throughout the town—on Deal Street, Square Road, Upper George Yard, and beyond.
Fred Berwick ran warehouses on Deal Street. Mr. Walsh, Gledwood’s, Young Howarth, and Edward Howarth all operated from the same area. Wrigglesworth and Sutcliffe occupied buildings in Upper George Yard, where the Corporation stables (later converted for the tramway) once stood. Woodhead and Fearnley had a warehouse in the Pig’s-eye yard, and John Ogden (a wool and waste dealer) operated from the same location.
The oldest business of staplers in Halifax—those who sorted and prepared wool for sale—was run by John Hall of Waterhouse Street, whose operation had roots stretching back generations. By the early 20th century, Thos. Wayman was a travelling wool merchant, and John Scarborough (later an M.P. for the Elland Division) had built his fortune in the wool trade before moving into politics.
Deal Street, back of Horton Street
The Trade Routes and the Toll Bars
Until 1848, there was no Shroggs Road—the main route was via Old Lane and Bowling Dyke. The roads were so poor that a cart could barely manage the journey; pack horses and donkeys were the only reliable option. A cart heading towards Royston’s wire mills (the old firm) could only reach as far as Wheatley, where the road became impassable. From there, goods had to be transferred to pack animals.
Before the railways came, wool moved by pack horse and donkey. The roads through Ovenden to Halifax were the main arteries, but they were controlled by toll bars—gates where drovers had to pay to pass. The entrance to Old Lane from Bowling Dyke was guarded by a chain bar, and there was another at Lee Bridge. The Ovenden road to Halifax was an alternative, but it too had its toll gates.
The Decline and the Legacy
By the early 20th century, the wool trade was already in decline. The industry that had built Halifax was beginning to fade, squeezed by competition, changing fashions, and the rise of synthetic fibres. The warehouses that once bustled with activity fell silent. The sorters moved on to other work. The great mills that had dominated the skyline began to close.
Yet the legacy remains woven into the fabric of Halifax itself. The stone buildings that housed the mills and warehouses still stand. The street names—Waterhouse Street, Deal Street, Square Road—echo the geography of the old trade. And the stories of the men who built the industry—the sorters, the staplers, the merchants, and the mill owners—are part of Halifax’s identity.
Halifax's old wool mills
Today
Modern Halifax has moved far beyond wool. Yet the heritage of those mills and warehouses, those skilled workers and ambitious merchants, remains a source of pride. The wool trade didn’t just create jobs—it created a culture of craftsmanship, entrepreneurship, and community that shaped the town for generations.
Walking through Halifax today, you can still see the fingerprints of that era: the solid stone buildings, the broad streets designed for carts and commerce, the names carved into lintels and cornerstones. The wool trade may have faded, but its mark on Halifax is indelible.
Dean Clough
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