January 08, 2022
Indeed a very great privilege for the request to oversee the well being and active curation of what is probably the largest William Morris carpet in extent. The management of a carpet of an approx 75 sq. mt which weighs in at an excess of 600 kilos is a considerable logistical undertaking requiring a team eight to just move it to another location.
The carpet was originally woven at William Morris & Co's Mersham Abbey workshop in the second half of the 1880s for the Wyndham family at Clouds House designed by Philip Webb who also did the Red House for William Morris himself. In the 1920s the Wyndham family had a house dispersal sale and the present owners grandfather ( a contemporary and friend of Morris ) purchased the carpet for the Gloucestershire house where it has remained ever since.
Having proposed that the carpet be fully conserved in three phases thus far have achieved the first stage in 2021 and 2022 with a complete washing offsite and conservation. Presentaly in 2023 additional conservation and the replacement of some old restorationr is underway toward the carpet being returned to Gloucestershire in the Autumn.
April 21, 2024
February 05, 2024
December 09, 2023