How we turn fleece into high-quality yarn

Wool has been a part of the UK economy for centuries providing wealth and creating employment in an industry that came to dominate many towns and cities, notably in Yorkshire.

When oak trees were felled to build houses, bridges and ships, sheep were introduced to graze the land that emerged from the forests.

Every process we undertake at Launceston used to be completed entirely by hand. Even spinning was hand done until the 14th Century when the spinning wheel was introduced to Europe from India where it was invented

Gradually every part of the process of turning raw fleece into yarn was mechanised and the development of the early machines helped mark the early days of the Industrial Revolution that started in the second half of the 18th Century.

Names like James Hargreaves, Richard Arkwright and Samuel Crompton you may remember from school. Although their inventions, the spinning jenny, water-powered spinning frame and spinning mule were developed for the cotton industry, the principles spread across the entire textile industry and their influence is still felt today.

The sequence of pictures above can only give you the basics of what we do and if you want to know more about the historical background to the industry click here which will take you to the Trowbridge Museum which includes an excellent on-line breakdown of how things used to be done. There are also specialist museums in Wales and Yorkshire.