| |
More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
|
Axminster
|
|
|
(43km/27m E of Exeter)
Town in Devon of which the name is much linked with carpets. A factory produced hand-made carpets here from 1755; in 1835 it went bankrupt and the equipment was moved to *Wilton. Soon after this the Wilton factory began mechanical weaving of carpets, in a technique patented in 1839 by James Templeton of Glasgow. The product was named Chenille Axminster, and the name Axminster later became standard for any carpet produced on a similar type of loom (the essential characteristic being that each tuft is inserted separately as in hand-weaving). One of the major advances in such looms was made at *Kidderminster in about 1900, and both Kidderminster and Wilton have continued to produce large quantities of Axminster carpets. A new factory was built at Axminster in 1937 and still manufactures carpets, but not of the Axminster type.
|
|
|
|