The town of Oundle made its wealth century’s ago from talented local craftsman and its market trading. Peter Peel of Oundle Carpet Weavers tells us how he sees the future of one of the oldest trades, carpet weaving.
What’s the first thing you stand on in the morning? Slippers? Pizza box (students only)? For most of us, though, it’s more likely to be a carpet. Yet despite spending hours choosing them and then miles spent walking on them, the most we ever think about them is deciding when they need a clean.
Peter Peel is different. From his detailed knowledge of the last 500 years of carpet history to investing in new looms, it’s clear he’s passionate about flooring.
“The patterns in Persian carpets used to tell stories using techniques handed down from generation to generation,” Peter informs us in a sage-like fashion. “That is until the French and English started exerting too much influence in the 16th century and the designs become more westernised.” See what we mean?.
As the driving force behind Oundle Carpet Weavers, his interest began when he was just a teenager. Yet it could have been so very different.
‘My father wanted me to get a job that I’d have for the rest of my life’ he told us ‘so I become an engineer.’ He lasted the sum total of three days. ‘The noise got to me so I went to work for Waring & Gillow, an exclusive furniture and carpet company.’
It was here he began learning his trade. “I learnt how to French Polish, fit carpets and install ‘battleship lino’; the old-style that you unwrap around a hot cauldron in winter to prevent it cracking. I learnt how to sew carpets up and my hands would be ripped to pieces from the thread.” After a few years he became a manager, but became bored of working for other people and so decided to explore new avenues. But after creating a ladies clothing label, selling wine and then using the internet to sell furniture, he returned to flooring.
Peter started by making rugs to be sold to market traders but things didn’t go to plan. “It wasn’t very successful – I was too expensive,” he informed us. Success only came when he cut out the middle-man and started his own market stall.
“Pretty soon, people were asking me if I also did carpets. So when a carpet shop in Oundle closed down, I decided to specialise in ‘end of rolls’. These are simply rolls of carpet that have already been cut and the leftovers are known as ‘end of rolls’ which are useful for small fittings and making rugs.
With Peter and his son, Tom, now running the shop and market stall between them, it wasn’t long before sales started to takeoff. But being a natural entrepreneur, Peter soon wanted to move the business on and sell his own carpets, but he couldn’t find anyone to do the weaving. “We don’t make enough in this country anymore,” he mournfully acknowledged. With no other option, he decided to do it himself.
“I’ve always been interested in making stuff so when I heard that Suffolk Carpet Weavers wanted to retire, I bought their looms and brought them back to Oundle.”
Making carpets may seem like a complicated thing to do, but the actual manufacturing doesn’t present any real problems. It’s finding trained staff that is the issue. Peter has big hopes for British carpet weaving, but sadly feels there isn’t the right calibre of young people wanting to learn a trade. “We’re still looking for four apprentices. We’ve had a few so far but they were terrible at basic maths or simply weren’t interested.”
Giving local people a choice of having something unique in their houses is clearly very important to Peter, just as is producing the goods locally and with environmentally-friendly materials. When you hear words like ‘bespoke’ and ‘made-to-order’ you may well immediately think that the price will hike up exponentially. But depending on colour and the amount of patterns, the price only rises slightly from OCW’s already affordable catalogue. The turnaround times are impressive too, considering your carpet is being made just for you. It’s about the same as ordering a standard carpet from any up-market department store. So for a similar price and turnaround, you could get something which is locally produced, sustainably made and totally unique. That’s quite a proposition for any domestic deity in the making.
“I believe that anyone who walks into this shop should be able to buy the same quality of goods, regardless of whether they’ve got millions or 2/6d.” It may have taken him a while to find it and it might not be what he had in mind, but Peter has finally followed his father’s advice. He has a job for life.
How to pick the perfect carpet
1. Decide how much to spend
It sounds obvious, but you do need to set your budget before you can go much further.
2. Choose between plain and patterned
If you’ve got a rough idea of what you like, experts like Peter will be able to help you find the perfect carpet for your house or business.
3. Get the right weight of carpet
You need to think about how much wear and tear it will receive and how long you want it to last. A 40oz wool twist should last for 10 years, whereas a 50oz will give you around 10-15 years while a 60oz is good for over 15 years.
4. Measure up
You can do this yourself but the risk is high. Once a carpet is cut you can’t return it if your measurements are wrong. It’s much safer to get a professional to do it properly rather than ending up with a carpet that is too small.
5. Estimate and Fit
Now you’ll find out exactly how much it’s all going to cost and whether it’s actually within your budget. Then just arrange a fitting date and you’re away.
Peter Peel is different. From his detailed knowledge of the last 500 years of carpet history to investing in new looms, it’s clear he’s passionate about flooring.
“Pretty soon, people were asking me if I also did carpets. So when a carpet shop in Oundle closed down, I decided to specialise in ‘end of rolls’. These are simply rolls of carpet that have already been cut and the leftovers are known as ‘end of rolls’ which are useful for small fittings and making rugs.
Making carpets may seem like a complicated thing to do, but the actual manufacturing doesn’t present any real problems. It’s finding trained staff that is the issue. Peter has big hopes for British carpet weaving, but sadly feels there isn’t the right calibre of young people wanting to learn a trade. “We’re still looking for four apprentices. We’ve had a few so far but they were terrible at basic maths or simply weren’t interested.”
“I believe that anyone who walks into this shop should be able to buy the same quality of goods, regardless of whether they’ve got millions or 2/6d.” It may have taken him a while to find it and it might not be what he had in mind, but Peter has finally followed his father’s advice. He has a job for life.
