Carpets explained

A note on carpets.

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Often over looked, these magnificent floor coverings (no longer made in the same way as in the past) can expertly bring a scheme together in a room. As heavy and cumbersome as some of these objects are, from a conservation point of view they can be equally just as fragile as fine textiles. Carpets suffer mostly at the hands of wear, from sunlight, UV deterioration and from pests – moths love to eat and nest in wool and other natural protein fibres like silk which are also commonly found in carpets.      

Carpets are usually made up of a woven substraight or base cloth. This may incorporate materials such as cotton, jute, flax, hemp or linen. At the time of construction knots can also be incorporated. The most common of these are either a symmetrical knot (e.g. Ghiordes or Turkish knot)  or a non-symmetrical knot (e.g. Senneh or Persian knot). British-made carpets tended to be constructed with symmetrical knots, usually made of   wool silks or cotton yarns. Other constructions types such as Chenille are also common among mid Century carpets. The pile can range in thickness from hundreds of fine knots per square inch (common in eastern silk carpets). To large knots about 10 knots per square inch (common in British woollen carpets).  Some kilim type carpets are more akin to tapestries,  having a flat weave with no knots. Documents suggest that carpets were introduced to the UK from the early 16th century, with the industry developing in the century thereafter- arguably the most well known British carpet factory was Thomas Whitty's Axminster in 1755.

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Carpets can come from all over the world, originally they were woven on hand looms. It is documented carpets have been in use since the ancient Greek times circa 800 BC. Following the Industrial revolution carpets have been made on mechanised looms or power looms, the first of these was designed by Edmund Cartwright in 1784. Mostly we work on carpets from the UK, Ireland and Europe such as Axminsters, Wiltons, Aubussons and Savonneries. We also carry out high quality work on Indian carpets such as Agras and carpets form the East.