Dyeing in Bradford

Initially wool which was spun or woven in Bradford was bought by merchants in Leeds, Halifax or Huddersfield where it was dyed and finished.

By mid-nineteenth century Bradford had become the main merchanting centre and dyeing had become an important industry. The number of dye houses in the town had grown from three in the 1800s to over thirty in 1860. During the nineteenth century the Bradford textile industry changed from being solely based on wool to include wool and cotton or silk mixtures and the shower proofing of fabrics. These changes stimulated the growth of the dyeing industry in the area.

For almost 200 years Bradford has been an important centre of the dyeing industry, especially for the dyeing of wool.