The Museum of Carpet to Close in a Significant Loss for Kidderminster
The news that Kidderminster’s Museum of Carpet will close on 20 December 2025 has brought deep sadness to all who value Britain’s textile heritage. For 13 years, the museum has offered a rare connection to the town’s weaving past through the voices of former mill workers, the rhythmic sound of restored looms and an archive that charts the rise of an industry once known around the world. Its closure feels particularly painful for the volunteers and staff who have sustained this history with dedication.
Workers at a carpet factory, Kidderminster. Early 1900's. Image courtesy of the Museum of Carpet.
Housed in the Grade II-listed Stour Vale Mill, the museum stands as one of the last architectural witnesses to the town’s industrial height. Inside, visitors encountered working machinery from the 19th and 20th centuries, including looms capable of producing Kidderminster, Wilton and Axminster carpets. These demonstrations—often led by retired weavers and spinners who had spent decades in the factories—were the museum’s beating heart. Their practical knowledge, stories and lived experience provided a direct link to the generations who defined the town’s identity.
A Museum of Carpet volunteer weaving a Turkey pattern carpet during a museum demonstration. Image courtesy if the Museum of Carpet.
Beyond its working floor, the museum cared for an exceptional collection: historic carpet samples, design drawings, technical manuals, photography, advertisements and textiles by renowned designers. Together, these materials charted the evolution of a trade that placed Kidderminster at the centre of global carpet production, with products reaching domestic and commercial interiors worldwide.
Carpet design and the resulting product. From the archives of the Museum of Carpet.
The closure comes after years of financial strain. Rising energy costs, essential maintenance of the mill building, the loss of tenants and decreasing footfall all contributed to a funding gap that became impossible to bridge. Geoffrey Gilbert, Chair of the Carpet Museum Trust, explained that despite determined efforts to secure long-term financial support, reserves had dwindled to the point where the museum could no longer meet its annual running costs.
Industrial carpet looms on show inside the Kidderminster Museum of Carpet.
For readers of Selvedge, the news will feel especially poignant. In Issue 126, Deco, we explored the museum’s distinctive role as a living archive—one animated by the memory and skills of those who once worked the looms. And in Issue 120, Carpet Magic, the “Textile Towns” feature traced Kidderminster’s textile history from its Anglo-Saxon beginnings to its role as a weaving powerhouse long before pile carpets emerged. Those articles highlighted the cultural and economic forces that shaped the town; the museum has long served as the physical anchor of those stories.
Although the building will close, the Carpet Museum Trust will continue to safeguard the collection. Plans are underway to preserve and relocate the archive in order to provide research access in the years to come. In the months ahead, visitors are encouraged to visit, reflect and show their support.
For those who once worked in Kidderminster’s mills—and for all who care about Britain’s textile story—these final weeks offer a chance to honour a remarkable legacy before the looms fall silent once more.
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Image Credits:
Lead: Setting Frame at the Museum of Carpet, Kidderminster. Image courtesy of the Museum of Carpet.
All further images as credited in photo captions.