The colourful dining room carpet at the former home of the MacGeough Bond family, The Argory near Moy, has been reproduced as a replica of the original floor covering.
Dating to the turn of the 19th/20th century the original carpet is a Spool Axminster, with a detailed pattern involving over 14 colours.
© National Trust
Due to the complexity of design and the extensive colour spectrum needed to replicate the original carpet, Ulster Carpets was the specified carpet supplier to the project. Their PSYLO™ weaving technology has transformed the carpet industry by creating extraordinary new opportunities for design, not available with any other carpet weaving system.
Commenting on the historic carpet, Frances Bailey, National Trust Curator said;
'It is a wonderfully colourful carpet that added to the richness of The Argory’s dining room. But despite the use of protective druggets, years of wear resulted in the carpet losing its pile to such an extent that in some areas only the base cloth survived.
The National Trust agreed that it was time to retire the old carpet and replace it with a new one. An original piece that had previously been underneath furniture was removed to get the colours as accurate as possible.'
© National Trust
Ulster Carpets then began the detailed process of matching colours and design in preparation for replicating this magnificent early Spool Axminster carpet.
'We are delighted to be a part of this local National Trust project. Using PSYLO™ weaving technology, we were able to recreate this 100 year old design resulting in an exact reproduction of the original, perfectly befitting of its beautiful surroundings at the Argory'.
The reproduction of the Dining Room carpet was part of a £1.2 million conservation project recently carried out at The Argory to replace outdated wiring, security and fire detection systems. All of the windows were removed and refurbished, and a special conservation heating system was installed. The carpet project was managed by Heather Tetley, of The Tetley Workshop - specialist carpet conservation, working closely with Linney Cooper – historic carpet layers to match and hand stitch the carpet panels together.
© National Trust
Why not go and have a look - The Argory offers a day out for all whatever the season. From gentle strolls among the arbours; peaceful views of the river; running wild in the woods; fun in the children's playground, mulling over the sun dial; enjoying the buzz of a craft day; or just sipping a quiet cup of afternoon tea.
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