Cotswold Company Dursley Mattress (Firm) review – a handcrafted, natural mattress made in Devon

Looking for a mattress made from natural materials? You best read our Cotswold Company Dursley Mattress review...

We were super lucky to be amongst the first to hear about the new, sustainable and completely natural luxury mattress collection from Cotswold Company at the end of last year. And even luckier to be able to review one of the three sumptuous styles – The Stow, The Dursley and The Malmesbury – in a choice of tensions (I chose firm) which have all been expertly handcrafted to order by master mattress artisans in the UK.

My partner has been by my side every night (and day) during the time we've had the mattress which creates a balanced view on our different sleeping positions, temperatures and motion transfer. We've now reviewed a few mattresses and have not only learnt a lot about our sleeping habits but also what makes a good mattress to sleep on, which is what we are ultimately sharing with you with this in depth review.

If you're looking to find the best mattress for your needs you'll find plenty of other choices in our guide – just don't miss out finding more about this one first. 

Cotswold Company Dursley Mattress specifications

• Tension: firm (also available in medium)
• Type: pocket-sprung
• Sizes: double, king and super king

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Who will the Cotswold Company Dursley Mattress suit?

• Back sleepers: the firm tension will ease any back aches and pains whilst the cotton cover and natural fillings offer a dreamy, padded surface to lay on;
• Fidgets: you won't even know they're there;
• Sustainability advocates: mattresses with natural fillings are hard to come by, especially when they've been made in the UK

The unpacking

This one does not arrive in a box, which has it's pros and it's cons. The pro's being that there's very minimal packaging and you don't need to wait for the mattress to puff up before sleeping on it. And the con, the obvious one, being that getting your new mattress through the front door and/or up the stairs can be somewhat a challenge.

I was happy enough with this way of arrival, however, since it feels like I'm forever tidying or recycling packaging once an item has been unwrapped.

What's the Cotswold Company Dursley Mattress like to sleep on?

We're both side sleepers so found that the firm tension rating was true to it's word since neither us found that we nestled in to it quiet so much as you would on a firm rated memory foam – or memory foam topped – mattresses. This is by no means a bad thing, it's just what we were used to. Yet having a set of our very best pillows did help because it meant that we could align our neck and spine for (even) more support. Our quilted mattress protector also provided (another) layer of comfort so I recommend getting the best mattress protector you can find, which will help to prolong the longevity of your nice new mattress, too. When we rolled onto our backs during the night, however, it was a welcomed stretch, although I wasn't to spend too much time in this position being seven months pregnant.

To demonstrate the tension a little clearer, we have scored the mattress out of 10 on the above graph. My partner is 6ft 4 and well built who found that his shoulders didn't sink in to the deeper parts of the mattress in the same way as they do on a memory foam mattress, but felt that this may not be so much of a problem for someone of a smaller frame. We both gave the mattress eight out of 10 for firmness because it is firm but the pillow-top surface gave a little cushioning when we laid on it.

When sleeping on the mattress we found that our weight was evenly distributed with no motion transfer that we were aware of, from either of us. It was also really easy to get out of bed because with our weight being evenly distributed and the tension staying true to form, there was no issue of the sides of the bed collapsing when launching up onto our feet. To really test the weight I hauled my trusty 56lb/4 stone weight onto the bed. It sank by 7cm into the surface of the mattress but, as you can see by the images below, the cloud-like wool topping remained firm around it which indicates the level of support you can expect to achieve. On the edge of the bed, the weight nestled in to the mattress by a mere 5cm which echoes what I mentioned earlier about the ease of getting out of bed – there's no chance of the mattress side collapsing here!

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It's recommended that you give your body at least 30 nights to fully adjust to your new mattress, which is how long we have tested this one for (give or take). When week one had been and gone we started to feel a lot more rested on the mattress which, I guess, was helped by the fact that we were used to it. The smell which I noticed after unwrapping faded during this time, too, which is a lot quick than some of the other mattresses I have been fortunate enough to try out.

We also tested this mattress over the winter months so we didn't get hot with the central heating on, nor did we feel cold. Being made from natural materials would mean that in any month of the year the mattress, and your body, will be able to breath and be naturally kept cool.

The fillings

There are five wonderful layers to The Dursley which are all made from natural materials.

At the top is a pure British wool comfort layer which makes that sumptuous, pillow-top. Only the highest grade of Dartmoor wool is used from a private family farm with over 100 years’ experience in sheep farming. Wool is the perfect ingredient in a mattress because of the natural temperature regulating properties which will keep you cosy in the winter and cooler in the warmer months. 

The second layer is 100 per cent pure Egyptian cotton which is strong, durable and also naturally breathable. You're then greeted by a layer of 1000gsm wool and more Egyptian cotton until you reach the 1200 Comfort Intelligence pocket springs which are said to naturally contour to your body for support. It's tricky to really put this aspect of the pocket springs to the test because they are the last layer of the mattress but what I will say is that the tension was the same across the entire surface of the mattress, no matter which way up we lay on it.

The design

This is really where we were impressed. The fillings are lovely but we can't see them, only feel them (as wonderful as they are). What you do see is a quality mattress which has had no attention to detail spared.

Each mattress has been handcrafted using traditional mattress making methods alongside modern innovations right here in the UK. They are made to order so each one is unique to you. And they are exclusive to The Cotswold Company (lucky them). All materials used are chemical free which makes them more sustainable than any other mattress I have seen for a while. There's hand stitching everywhere you can see across the mattress; the edges for support, the handles for easy turning and the hand tied pure wool tufts (which is probably my favourite part of the entire mattress).

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What do you get for your money?

The Dursley comes with an eight year guarantee plus the option of free delivery.

There's no trial period with these mattresses – something one has come to expect nowadays – so if you aren't happy with your new mattress you are unable to return it due to hygiene reasons.

Ordering and delivery

There's a couple of tensions to choose from at the point of ordering (medium or firm) and which size you're after. It's worth noting that the difference between the tensions is that the springs in the firmer mattresses are coiled tighter, so there is less bounce, giving a firmer, more supported surface. Everything else about the firm and medium mattresses are the same.

And there's a couple of delivery options, too, depending on when you want your new mattress for. Delivery is free if you are happy to wait up to a week for it but if you want it sooner, there is the option to pay an additional £25 to receive it a few days earlier.

The Pure Natural Collection

This sustainable and completely natural mattress collection is unique to the Cotswold Company. It launched in autumn 2020 with the arrival of three new mattresses to choose from: The Stow, The Dursley and The Malmesbury.

I wanted to review all three but I happily landed in the middle as I felt this offered a good medium-ground. The difference between them is how much loose hand-teased Dartmoor wool and Comfort Intelligent pocket springs goes into them. The Stow, for example, has a 450gsm wool layer and 1000 springs whereas The Malmesbury has 2200gsm of wool and 1500 springs. As you step through the collection you'll also see that the company have increased their longevity promise if you decide to invest a little more with six, eight or 12-year guarantees on each mattress option.

Is the Cotswold Company Dursley Mattress worth it? 

If you want a mattress made from natural materials then ABSOLUTLY YES! Not many mattresses are not made like this anymore, especially using UK sourced ingredients from such a desirable part of the country. The handcrafted design is really impressive and I was blown away by the detailing such as the hand tied pure wool tufts and hand stitched handles.

What I would say is, however, is that the firm tension really is firm. There's not much cushioning if you are a side sleeper to nestle in to so unless you tend to sleep more on your back, then a medium tension may be more suitable. Note that there's no trial with this mattress either, so it's a good job you've read this review before buying so you can be 110 per cent sure that this is the mattress for you.

About this review and our reviewer

Jennifer Oksien is our Appliances Editor across the homes titles at Future. This means that she spends her days working with appliance (and mattress) brands to ensure that you get the best products for your home. She lives in a Victorian terrace which is undergoing an unintentional renovation so whilst stripping back walls, ceiling and floors (etc!) she visualises how the space can be best used with a suite of gadgets, gizmos and home comforts to make home life that little bit more streamlined.

As with all our reviews the Cotswold Company Dursley mattress has been tested first-hand in our home, using it just as you would so you know exactly what you are buying. The products are given to us free of charge and we test them for as long as possible before sending them back to the brand, unless we are able to keep it as we are with this mattress. This means that we can continue to use the product which gives us the opportunity to return to our reviews for updating, so you can keep up-to-date with how it's fared over a period of time.