Abraham Moons was founded in 1837, the same year Victoria was crowned Queen. 180 years later the mill has survived a mill fire, a subsequent rebuild and passed through seven owners

The mills were founded by Abraham Moon and quickly grew to a considerable size. Upon Abraham's death in 1877, the company was passed down to his son Isaac. During Isaac's time of ownership, the mill faced a fire that required a full rebuild. This rebuild allowed the mill to become fully vertical ensuring all operations from weaving to finishing were carried out on site. It remains one of Britain's last vertical mills.

Currently, the mills are the largest employer in the local area, employing in the region of 250 members of staff.

In 1920, the Moon family sold their share in the business to Charles Walsh, whose family still own the company to this day with fourth generation family member John Walsh stepping in as Managing Director in 1989.



Currently, the mills are the largest employer in the local area, employing in the region of 250 members of staff. "More than Leeds-Bradford Airport which is nearby," states Martin, the mills Marketing Manager. The skilled workers assist the mills in all processes, from the raw stages of the natural fibres and dying all the fibres in-house, to weaving the yarns into beautiful fabrics and finishing the final products at the end of the line.



Abraham Moons are proud to import ethically sourced from wool growers internationally, whether this is the highest quality Merino Lambswool from South Africa, Pure New Wool from New Zealand or the small selection of courser British Wool used specifically in Tweed Jacket production as it is a fantastic texture for use in country sports clothing.

The most outstanding skill of the team is their attention to detail and memory, frequently reproducing fabrics from the company archives and handwritten notes.

The mills committed to the high-quality finish of their product and carry out a number of quality inspections at key points in the production process. These inspections include ensuring the dyed wool passes their colour standards check, the yarns are strong enough after spinning and the pattern sets are counted before and after weaving. The mill also has a highly trained mending department who are able to resolve the majority of issues post-production. The structure of the mill allows for these inspections and processes to be in place and helps the company to continue producing the high standard of quality they always have.


Abraham Moons mill staff 1912


Weaving Rooms 1912


Inside Mills 2005

The eight-strong team of in-house designers draw their inspiration for material patterns from a variety of sources. The most outstanding skill of the team is their attention to detail and memory, frequently reproducing fabrics from the company archives and handwritten notes. These designs are also updated to keep up with newer trends in the industry such as the trends in country clothing. As well as having their own in-house designs, the mills work on design briefs created by clients. They are usually able to produce these designs within 16 weeks and are not overly reliant on the use of computer-aided designs. We have worked with the mills to produce our own bespoke fabric designs including our Shetland Barleycorn tweeds featured in our new Waterfall Jacket and Peter Pan Collar Tweed Coat.

The fabric industry used to be largely a handmade business, stemming from the tweed production in the Western Isles of Scotland, but with developments in machines and technology, the production of such materials is far easier

Abraham Moons sample book

The fabric industry used to be largely a handmade business, stemming from the tweed production in the Western Isles of Scotland, but with developments in machines and technology, the production of such materials is far easier. Abraham Moons are amongst a number of weaving mills that use machinery alongside the expertise of their skilled staff to produce their high-quality materials. Ensuring the optimum running of one of the machines is far from an easy role, with master weavers requiring up to five years of training, as well as the long-term knowledge of experienced staff. The company ensures they regularly invest in modern technology to aid the team in their roles, and also putting a significant investment into the staff themselves through their apprenticeship programme to train up those who are new to the industry, put in place in 2010.



A high-quality tweed should have a long lifespan, and the materials that Abraham Moons produces is no exception."The wool fabric itself should last a relative lifetime," affirms Marketing Manager Martin, "it’s fashion trends which are the more likely culprit to have you change your wardrobe, rather than wear and tear. More or less all of our fabrics & accessories are 100% natural wool, meaning pilling isn’t an issue"

Abraham Moons are amongst a number of weaving mills that use machinery alongside the expertise of their skilled staff to produce their high-quality materials.

The mills are keen to push forward with their innovative designs and have recently created the first 100% wool electric blanket. They are currently committed to their Autumn 2018 fashion range which very soon will shift on to Spring 2019, and from here the team will keep designing and producing high-quality fabrics. Looking forward, the company ensure they are regularly investing every year to modernise the production. However, they are keen to maintain their traditional methods and craftsmanship as Martin states they "have served so well over the past 180 years." A classic case of if it's not broken, don't fix it.



Abraham Moons supply a number of our tweeds from our vintage tweed overshirts to our Barleycorn Shetland, both of which are a staple to any country fashion enthusiast. These materials are a favourite of ours and always of the highest quality, which is exactly what we want for our customers. We work tirelessly every year to bring the best price for our customers and our relationship with Abraham Moons allows us to do this. You can shop our Men's and Ladies collections on our website and in-store.