Long-established carpet firm meets cathedral challenge

Long-established carpet firm meets cathedral challenge

A long-established carpet manufacturer faced a tough challenge when the ancient Chapter House at Gloucester Cathedral (pictured) needed a new floor covering.

The cathedral team wanted the design to be based on, and sympathetic to, the existing tiled floor (pictured) – maintaining the tone of the aesthetic.

Alan Whittle, sales and marketing director at Wilton Carpets, a first-time exhibitor at CRE Midlands, said: ‘Working closely with the chief operating officer of the cathedral, our design team originated an opulent design, in rich reds and burnt orange, based on the tile design. There’s a beautiful order to the geometric uniformity of the overall piece, and a timeless elegance to the ornate detail of the replicated tiles.

‘The challenge was complicated because the carpets need to be lifted regularly as the Chapter House is often used for filming. This necessitated the highest quality carpet to maintain appearance and shape and a sophisticated fitting solution to ensure the historic tiled floor was not damaged.

‘It was a great opportunity to work in conjunction with the cathedral team to arrive at this beautiful solution which will complement the Chapter House for many years to come.’

The complex job was specified by Andrew Bayliss at LGM Ltd who also oversaw the fitting.

The Axminster carpet (pictured) was woven on Wilton’s high-speed loom in standard wool-rich yarn and in a quality suitable for extremely high traffic areas, offering durability and appearance retention, luxurious underfoot comfort and long lifetime value.

The company traces its history back to the original weavers who developed and patented the ‘Wilton weave’ technique in 1741. Woven carpets have been made at Wilton, near Salisbury for nearly 275 years and representatives will be at CRE Midlands to discuss flooring solutions with church leaders and visitors.

• Wilton Carpets are on stand F5 at CRE Midlands 23

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