Former Wool Exchange – Bradford, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 47.665 W 001° 45.123
30U E 582203 N 5961371
This large ornate building was purpose built to replace a smaller nearby building that was no longer large enough as the wool trade expanded in Bradford.
Waymark Code: WMGZ8D
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/27/2013
Views: 3
Bradford had grown rapidly in the Industrial Revolution on the back of the wool trade and became known as the wool capital of the world. An earlier wool exchange had taken over a building that had been erected as public newsrooms and ballroom. As time went by Bradford’s wool trade continued to grow and it was decided that a larger purpose built building was required.
In the 20th Century the wool trade declined in the UK and this building no longer functions as a Wool Exchange but is a Grade I English Heritage listed building. It was converted in 1982 to a small shopping arcade, the main trading floor housing Waterstones, the book shop. The side wall to the book shop on Hustlergate was replaced by one of glass which includes a mezzanine floor for a café, lightens the building enormously and reveals its constructional
details. This was designed by the architect Andrew Dempster.
At the time the building was listed in 1963 it was still trading as the wool exchange. Apart from that fact this extract from the
listing gives a good description of the building.
“Competition winning design of 1864 by Lockwood and Mawson. The foundation stone
was laid by the Prime Minister Lord Palmerston. Completed in 1867. Occupying
a triangular island site, the building has 3 main storeys of very finely masoned
Bradford sandstone with a prominent clock tower at the north end. Red and yellow
sandstone dressings. In type the design looks to the precedent of the great Flemish
Cloth Halls but the style is Venetian Gothic, particularly in the polychromy and
the serrated openwork of the parapet cresting. (An unexecuted design for Halifax
Town Hall by sir G G Scott was perhaps a more immediate influence). Steep hipped
slate roof with ridge cresting. Pointed ground floor arcade, originally open, with
shafts and geometrical tracery. Coupled shafted lights to first floor and similar
but shorter tripled lights to second floor. Both with toothed weathered sill courses
and carved impost bands. Bartizan pinnacled turrets to each corner. Rose windows
to south end. The north tower provides a grand open porch on the ground floor, with
canopied statues to corners, and roses in 3 tall stages to the clock stage with
crocketed gables applied to each face and pinnacled bartizan corner turrets. Similar
parapet existing as on main building and sharp spire surmounted by crocketed pinnacle.The main hall is still used as a Wool exchange and has finely
detailed lofty hammer-beam roof with wrought iron work decoration. The hall is
surrounded by tall polished granite columns with foliate capitals and there is an
outer south aisle arcade with good naturalistic foliage carving. Lively wrought
ironwork balcony and staircase balustrade. The Wool Exchange, perhaps more than
any other building, symbolises the wealth and importance that Bradford had gained
by the mid C19, on the basis of the wool trade.”
The front entrance is flanked by the two statues mentioned in the ablove listing. On the left is the statue of Bishop Blaize, Patron Saint of Woolcombers holding a wool comb, the instrument of
his martyrdom. On the right hand side is King Edward III who did much to encourage the wool trade.
All the wool contracts were made verbally and only members were allowed on the trading floor. All the wool sold on the floor was independently checked for quality by a conditioning house elsewhere in Bradford. It was checked for quality (staple length) and dry weight, since adding water was a favourite swindle.
As a non member you could still make trades off the trading floor but the quality of the wool was not guaranteed.
The rear of the building has a blue plaque describing its history and tell su that it was built on the site of the Market House which became part of the Piece Hall. The old piece hall was where finished cloth was sold in standard lengths, rather than the raw wool. It was a normal market rather than an exchange.
The Wool Exchange
built in 1867 to the design
of Architects Lockwood and
Mawson. This was the site of
the old Market House built by
Benjamin Pawson in 1799 which
bacame an extension of the
Piece Hall in 1824
Bradford City Heritage