A native UK sheep breed that assumed its name at the Great Yorkshire Show nearly 150 years ago is being celebrated at this year’s Show in Harrogate.

Wensleydale sheep are recognisable for their large frame and heavy fleece of long locks and are a popular fixture in the Sheep rings at the Great Yorkshire Show. Now, both the heritage and modern-day story of this iconic Yorkshire breed will be told in a dedicated new exhibition at the 166th Show.

The Wensleydale traces its lineage back to a single sire born in 1839 in the Yorkshire Dales, but the breed was as-yet-unnamed when it was first given its own class at the Great Yorkshire Show in 1876. At the time, the breed was used as the sire of the Masham – the result of a Wensleydale ram crossed with a Dalesbred ewe – and from the Show onwards it was formally named and recognised as the Wensleydale.

To celebrate this rich history and the breed’s qualities as a luxury wool producer, the Wensleydale Sheep: A Handcrafted History exhibition is a fascinating showcase of work produced by 40 textile artists throughout the UK. It also features daily woolcraft demonstrations and is being organised by a small group of passionate individuals within the Wensleydale Longwool Sheep Breeders’ Association (WLSBA).

The exhibition is part-funded by a grant from the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show. It will be located at the Show in the former Poultry and Pigeons building next to the Ariat GYS Stage. The exhibition is led by WLSBA Secretary, Jodi Shadforth (pictured exhibiting above), who keeps her own flock of pedigree rare and native breeds of sheep on a mixed arable and livestock farm near Hartlepool.

Jodi is one of 12 younger farmers who recently completed the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s Goodall Agri-Development Pathway to develop her skills as she makes her way in farming.

She said: “Bringing this exhibition to fruition has been a labour of love, fuelled by a dedication to this unique breed and a desire to show what can be achieved by combining artistic skill and craftsmanship in producing beautiful products from its wool. Only by demonstrating its value can we hope to ensure the survival of the breed for generations to come.”

The WLSBA’s exhibition is the first of its kind in promoting the unique Wensleydale Longwool fleece and the versatile range of textile crafts for which it can be used. It celebrates rural history, heritage woolcrafts and the increasingly popular and sustainable practice of using British wool in textiles. Every piece that will be on display has been crafted using native, rare breed Wensleydale sheep wool. Wensleydale fleeces are particularly lustrous, producing staple lengths of up to 30cm in a yearling sheep before first shearing.

The exhibited pieces vary widely, from hand woven tapestries and knitted lace garments, to felted ‘wool paintings’ and re-upholstered furniture. Each piece is unique and almost every piece has been created especially for the exhibition, which is being taken to various venues up until the end of 2026.

The Great Yorkshire Show will be held from Tuesday 8 July to Friday 11 July, on the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate. Tickets are in advance only and are on sale now. The 166th Show brings together the very best of British agriculture, attracting 140,000 visitors and 8,500 exhibiting animals for a four-day celebration of farming, food and the countryside.

The Show is elevating its digital platforms this year with a new GYS App and a new YouTube series focussing on some of the exhibitors and contributors who make the Show the success it is today.

Subscribe to the Great Yorkshire Show YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/GreatYorkshireShow

Download the Great Yorkshire Show App here: https://greatyorkshireshow.co.uk/gys-app/

Farmer tickets offer those working in the industry extra flexibility to access to the Great Yorkshire Show. The tickets are discounted and available to use on any day of the Show. Farmer tickets are available to purchase, and are available online from https://greatyorkshireshow.co.uk/farmers/ and in person, subject to availability, at select farming outlets (see the website for details).

More news like this can be found in The Country Smallholder magazine. Subscribe here.

For FREE updates from the world of smallholding, sign up for The Country Smallholder newsletter here.