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Do you know which commodity has arguably made Britain richer than any other over the past 300 years?

  • Coal 389 votes (37.3%)
  • Wool 307 votes (29.4%)
  • North Sea Oil 198 votes (19.0%)
  • Tin 150 votes (14.4%)

Total votes: 1,044

Answer: People instinctively think it’s coal or oil. But Britain’s wealth before the Industrial Revolution was built on wool. For centuries it was England’s biggest export, financed kings, paid for cathedrals, and helped create the capital that later fuelled industrialisation.