the first flock in the uk to achieve SRUC MV and Johnes Monitored Status
British Wool Licensee for traceable british woollen yarns and woven products
Uping Down Shetlands
Fine Shetland Wool Growers and Hand Weavers
About Us
David and Carolyn Gill live on a small farm in the Frome Valley in West Dorset. Laid to permanent pasture, the land is in a traditional sheep farming area.
The Uping Down flock of pedigree Shetland Sheep has grown from an initial two lambs over twelve years ago to one hundred and fifty strong and comprises breeding rams, ewes, wethers and lambs.
The flock is managed in a closed, non-intensive system giving the sheep time to grow naturally and slowly. This enables us to get to know each sheep individually and to meet its needs accordingly.
We are committed to the highest welfare standards for our flock which is
SRUC MV and Johnes Monitored, and is the first flock in the UK
to achieve this status.
Uping Down fleeces are widely acknowledged as very fine, soft and crimpy, and those used in our yarns are traceable back to the sheep from which they came.
Uping Down yarns are naturally coloured and are produced from our fleeces at a mill in North Yorkshire. They are used in our handwoven scarves and fabric, designed and made by David, and in selected pieces of knitwear.
In 2026 an Uping Down shearling fleece was judged to be the overall Show Champion Fleece by British Wool at the prestigious Great Yorkshire Show.
