A luxury made wool duvet exposing the wool from the inside showcasing is softness.

Wool is an incredible fibre – temperature regulating, dust mite resistant, and 100% sustainable because the sheep regrow their fleece each year. It’s no wonder then that wool has become synonymous with luxury, durability and comfort.

We’ve already covered the history of British wool in one of our previous blogs but here’s five facts about it that you might not know.

  1. Britain is one of the largest wool producers in the world:  After shearing, British flocks yield nearly 70,000 tonnes per year. Depending on the quality of the wool, it can be used for numerous products – from building insulation to carpets, from shoes to felt pads for piano hammers, and from clothing to duvets.
  2. There are 45,000 sheep farmers in the UK: Employment in the sheep farming industry contributes approximately £290 million to the British economy. At Devon Duvets, we gather our wool from farmers across Devon and the Southwest, many of whom we have known for over 15 years for the quality of their wool and their high standards of animal welfare. Our farmers are part of the British Wool traceability programme, which ensures that they receive a higher than market price for their wool.
  3. There are over 34 million sheep in the UK:  British sheep are farmed across all kinds of terrain, from fields to highlands.
  4. Britain has more breeds of sheep than any other country in the world: There are more than 60 different breeds, 25 of which are rare breeds. We’ve been individually handcrafting soft filled bedding at our Devon workshops for 15 years and have just launched our brand new range of Rare Breeds duvets, using wool from Devon Closewool flocks.
  5. British wool has been prized for its quality for over 2,000 years:  The Romans were so impressed by the quality of British wool that the ‘birrus’ (woollen hooded cloak) was on a ‘must have’ list for clothing. Wool merchants were amongst the wealthiest people in British society for hundreds of years. British Wool (formerly known as the Wool Marketing Board) was established in 1950. It is the only organisation in the world that collects, grades, sells and promotes fleece wool on behalf of over 35,000 farmer members - and is the only remaining agricultural commodity board in the UK. Their activities are carried out for UK and international markets. Wool that has been through the British Wool grading system is quality assured and fit for purpose. Consumers can be confident that products, such as ours, that bear the British Wool’s distinctive logo of the shepherd’s crook and Union Jack are made with British wool.

You can find out about our luxurious, individually handcrafted 100% British wool duvets, mattress toppers and pillows here. If you have any queries, then do get in touch with the team and they’ll be happy to help.