The Cotswold Woollen Weavers

The history of the Cotswolds is a story of sheep’s wool and as a Cotswold Tailor, we take great pride in our location and the History associated with it.

So it was with greta joy that I manage to sneak in a quick visit to The Cotswold Woollen Weavers again recently.

For 500 years the sheep created the rolling Cotswold landscape, and money from the wool enabled the building of the mellow limestone churches, manor houses and Cotswold cottages we love so well. Generations of shepherds, wool merchants, weavers, quarrymen and stonemasons have all made their mark on this land, and in Filkins, Cotswold Woollen Weavers continues in this ancient tradition.

The Cotswolds' Sheep - The Cotswold Lion!

Today there is not much more than a ton or two of Cotswold fleece-wool available each year. It is long-stapled (more than six inches), reasonably lustrous and of mid 40's quality (For comparison Merino is mid 60's plus, Lincoln about mid 30's). Until recently,

Cotswold wool was for many years lumped in with other English lustre-wools - and used mainly for carpets and industrial cloths.

During the early 1980's Cotswold Woollen Weavers recognised its potential and revived ts use. In particular, the natural lustre and the clarity with which it accepts dye made the wool ideal for loose-twist worsted spinning, and weaving into soft-furnishing cloths - as well as a truly wonderful range of clothing wool.

There is a fascinating History regarding the Cotswold Wool and Sheep and I highly recommend visiting the mill for the full story. 

The Cotswolds was built on wool.

The Gloucestershire Check

To celebrate this History, The Gloucestershire Check was developed.

The history of woollen cloth-making in Gloucestershire is a long and honourable one, and is woven into the very fabric of our Cotswold landscape. Cotswold Woollen Weavers have designed a handsome new check to celebrate this ancient Gloucestershire wool heritage.

We weave our cloth with pride, and we trust you will enjoy it for years to come - your very own Gloucestershire and Cotswold heirloom.

Inspired by the colours of the countryside, we have incorporated fresh green for the open hills, red for centuries of royal connections (Prince Charles, and several other members of the Royal family, live in the area), blue for the rivers, dark green for the ancient forest, honey gold for the mellow limestone of the villages, and ochre for the Cotswold sheep (long known as ‘the Cotswold Lion’), which brought prosperity to the area. These subtle shades are woven into a check, evocative of the West of England broadcloths, famous since the 18th century.

Our Gloucestershire Check cloth is made from 100% Pure New Wool, and is therefore inherently fire-resistant, It is at least 150cm (c. 60”) usable width, and is an excellent weight for upholstery (as our pictures show), or for winter coats. The cloth has been Teflon treated (invisibly!) to help make stain resistant.

We are delighted that as a Cotswold Tailor based in Gloucestershire, we can now offer this stunning fabric in our Showroom to our customers.

It is perfect for jackets, overcoats and heavier suits and works brilliantly as a shooting suit.

Do feel free to pop in and have a look as it is stunning and something that will work for whatever item you are looking for.