1866 - The Wool Exchange - Bradford, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 47.639 W 001° 45.155
30U E 582169 N 5961323
This carved stone roundel shows the date of 1866 next to the rear entrance to the Wool Exchange.
Waymark Code: WMNX83
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/17/2015
Views: 2
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.
The Date Stone
Surprisingly, considering the grandeur of the building, this date stone is actually above a small door at the rear of the building and is easy to miss.
This rear wall is fairly plain, although it does have a number of carved heads of famous explorers in honour of the world trade that used to drive the wool trade in Bradford.
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