You can now access a new and comprehensive cotton trade history via the ICA website, thanks to a project that began in 2011 with archivist,Vincent McKernan.

A valuable resource for academics and for anybody interested in the cotton trade, the site contains the history of the evolution of the ICA and the cotton industry.
The work took months to complete, but the results are worth it, as Vincent explains: “The history of the ICA is bound up with some of the world’s most important historical events, including the industrial revolution, the growth of the railways, the transatlantic cable and two world wars.
“It is a story of rapid and astonishing growth, with Liverpool -the home of the ICA – emerging as the country’s leading cotton importer and the world’s leading cotton financial centre; to an almost equally rapid decline after World War II, as both the Lancashire cotton industry and the world cotton futures markets vanished.
“And finally, it is the story of a renaissance, as the ICA reinvented itself and embraced the global outlook it has today. It is a history that is consistently surprising and fascinating.”