Mattresses in Memory Foam and Pocket Sprung

Every mattress here comes in the UK standard sizes, so the first decision is which size your bed takes, and the second is what you want inside it.

Mattress sizes

Two things are worth knowing from that table. The length only changes once, at king, where it goes from 6ft 3in to 6ft 6in — so anyone over about 6ft 2in is choosing a king for the length rather than the width. And the step from king to super king is 30cm, twice the gap between any other two sizes.

Sizes bought abroad do not match. A continental double is 140 x 200cm and an American king is roughly 193 x 203cm, so if the bed frame came from outside the UK, measure it before ordering.

Memory foam mattresses

Foam responds to body heat and weight, forming to the sleeper and spreading their weight rather than resisting it at the hips and shoulders.

It suits side sleepers particularly, because the shoulder and hip sink in while the waist stays supported. On a shared bed it does something no other construction matches: it transmits almost no movement, so one person turning over or getting up early barely registers on the other side.

Foam holds warmth where springs let air through. The versions made with gel through the layer sleep noticeably cooler and are the ones to look at for a warm bedroom.

Pocket sprung mattresses

Each spring sits in its own fabric pocket and compresses independently of the ones around it. That is the difference from an older open coil mattress, where the springs are wired together and the whole surface moves as one piece — which is why open coil beds tend to roll two sleepers towards the middle.

Air moves between the pockets, so a pocket sprung mattress runs cooler through the night than foam, and the feel is springier rather than sinking. It suits back and front sleepers, and anyone who dislikes the enclosed sensation of foam.

A pillow top, where a mattress has one, is a padded layer stitched over the springs. It softens the surface without changing the support underneath.

Firm and softer mattresses

Firm holds the body higher and lets it sink in less; softer lets the shoulders and hips settle further before taking the weight. Back and front sleepers and heavier sleepers generally want firmer; side sleepers generally want less, because the shoulder needs somewhere to go.

The words are not standardised across the trade, so one maker's firm is another's medium, and comparing firmness within a single range tells you more than comparing between different ones.

This is the part that does not translate to a screen. Our Enniskillen showroom has mattresses out on the floor, and the useful thing is not testing one but testing two: a foam and a pocket sprung, one after the other, which is the choice this page is really about.

Mattress FAQs

What are the UK mattress sizes?

Single 90 x 190cm, small double 120 x 190cm, double 135 x 190cm, king 150 x 200cm and super king 180 x 200cm.

What is the difference between memory foam and pocket sprung?

Foam moulds to the body, isolates movement and holds warmth. Pocket springs support each area independently, let air through and feel springier. Side sleepers often prefer foam; back and front sleepers often prefer springs.

What is an open coil mattress?

One where the springs are wired together as a single unit rather than sitting in individual pockets. The whole surface moves together, which is why it feels more uniform and why two sleepers tend to roll towards the middle.

Which mattress size should I buy?

The one your bed frame takes, since mattress and frame have to match. Where you are buying both, the practical limit is the floor space left to walk past the bed and open a wardrobe once it is in.

Does a bigger bed need a longer mattress?

Only from king upwards. Single, small double and double are all 190cm long; king and super king are 200cm.