The Persian Carpet Studio

1.Restoring our heritage to its former glory.

The restoration and cleaning of an Aubusson carpet Circa 1600s from a Historic House in North Norfolk .The carpet was used in a room that is open to the public, therefore it was essential that the carpet was moved to our workshops while the house was closed for the winter period. It was very fragile and at 24' long by 20' wide we had to very carefully transport and manoeuvre it for repair.

After some time spent stabilising the damage, the first stage was to wash the carpet. The difference in the appearance of carpets before and after cleaning is always surprising, and this was no exception.

Years of dirt and grime were lifted off to reveal the beautifully rich colours that had been hidden beneath. The next stage was to re-weave holes in the main field. Matching threads were sourced to replace broken foundations, then colours were matched to recreate blocks of the weft-faced weave where it had worn away.

The sides had been folded under many years ago in an effort to protect them, as they had worn through in many areas. Unfortunately where this had formed two layers it was rapidly wearing through. There was such considerable damage that it was decided to re-weave entire panels of the outer brown border. As such large panels were involved, this was carried out on a tapestry loom in order to match the tension under which it was originally woven, to prevent any unevenness. The new panels were then attached to the carpet, creating a stable functional edge.

The carpet, now clean and restored to its former glory, was laid back in the room ready for the visitors to the house to admire for years to come.

2. A dusty old floor covering has a shock value of £30,000 - don't throw away your fortune.

Antique Zeigler carpet:

A private customer who had inherited the carpet with the house brought in the Zeigler carpet (pictured ) to us. The previous owner did not have a high regard for the carpet so did not want the inconvenience of moving it. The new owner brought the carpet in for some stabilising work on areas that were fraying and to turn it into a usable floor covering. They had no idea of its value. Original Zeiglers are highly sought after so to find one of this age (late 1800s) and in such good condition meant it had considerably more value than the customer realised. If they were to try to replace it they would have had to spend around thirty thousand pounds.

This shows that it is worth seeking the advice of a professional before throwing away what could be a priceless antique. On cleaning the carpet we re-discovered the jewel-like turquoise and red colouring that had been hidden for years.

Upon removing the dirt and dust it immediately became apparent why these carpets are so sought after. The designs of Ziegler carpets have influenced weavers throughout the world.

There was some insect damage where parts of the carpet had been hidden under furniture and neglected for years; luckily this was reparable to an invisible mend. Fraying edges were stabilised to prevent the loss of knots turning rapidly into holes. The carpet was placed back into the new owner's house becoming the main feature of a room rather than just the dusty old floor covering that it had been in the past.

Opening hours: Mon-Sat: 10am-5:30pm