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Exhibition Opening Times 2010
The
exhibition in Thomas Whitty
House - located in Silver Street, Axminster - will be open from Thurday 27th May to Thursday 30th September 2010.
 click
here for full details and opening times
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Temporary Town Museum exhibits
The Town Museum has been closed for over a year due to extensive building works. For 2010 there will be temporary Town Museum exhibits in Thomas Whitty House together with a display of paintings and prints with a farming and Axminster theme.
One of the principal artists will be Kate Lynch with paintings and drawings from her new book - SHEEP
- From Lamb to Loom depicting the seasonal life of shepherds in the West Country. WELL WORTH A VISIT!
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Announcement: Honorary
President of Axminster Heritage
We are delighted and honoured to announce that the Earl of Devon has agreed to
become Honorary President of Axminster Heritage. Shortly after the appointment,
Earl and Countess Devon visited Axminster Carpets and were given a tour of
the factory hosted by Simon and Josh Dutfield.
The photograph shows Sir Neville
Marriner, Patron, the Earl of Devon, Countess Devon, Lady Marriner, Laurence
Hitchcock, Lady Polwarth examining the beauty of the end product with Josh Dutfield
who led the guided tour.
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Tracking down possibly the most
famous Axminster carpet of all!
We are trying to track down possibly THE MOST FAMOUS AXMINSTER CARPET OF ALL;
in 1822 the famous Whitty factory produced what must have been one of the most
remarkable carpets ever woven on a hand loom. It measured 74 feet x 52 feet,
so both its size and weight to man handle at that time must have been incredible.
We believe it was made for the Sultan of Turkey and was certainly layed in the
Topkapi Palace in Istanbul; it depicted a blazing sun, the moon and a constellation
of stars. For more information about the carpet, click here to read our full
article!
If anyone has any information or clues as to the whereabouts or even
demise of this wonderful masterpiece could they please contact Fred Wells either
by e-mail on fred@wellscarpetbroker.co.uk or
telephone 0044 (0)1297 33771.
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Dissertation
Lady Susan Stern produced a 95 page dissertation for her MA Decorative
Arts and Historic Interiors titled 'Craftsman, Innovator, Entrepreneur: Thomas
Whitty and the English Carpet' which examines the role of Thomas Whitty of Axminster
in the development of the English carpet in the second half of the Eighteenth
Century.
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A list of seamless hand knotted
Axminster carpets is being compiled
Brenda Rose, the leading authority on early Axminster
carpets is compiling an up-to-date list of all seamless
hand knotted Axminster carpets made between 1755 and
1835.
Brenda may be contacted directly on 01743 233722 and
would be very pleased to hear from anyone with knowledge
of such carpets and their location whether they are privately
owned or in the public domain.
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The Sounds
of Carpet Making
A CD compiled by Brian Vaughton depicting sounds and
reminiscences
of carpet making in the past is now available
for just £7 (including delivery).
Please contact Brian
directly
on
01297
552171 for more
information or to order your copy! |
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An audio documentary to
celebrate the 250th anniversary of the making of the
first Axminster carpet.
Track listing -
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Minster
Church - two new bells
Two new bells for The Minster Church of St. Mary were
specially commissioned as part of The Weavers' Tales
celebrations in 2005 to commemorate the tremendous
impact the two great weavers - Thomas Whitty and Harry Dutfield - have had
on the growth and development of Axminster. The two
new bells named the "Whitty" and "Dutfield" bells
were hung in the Minster Church of St. Mary in February 2006 at the conclusion
of major restoration works to the Tower of The Minster and it is planned for
them to be rung for the first time at Eastertime.
Minster Church - two new bells click
here to view photos
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