It is an old adage that "you don't know what you've got - till it's gone!"
Printed tapestry carpet, chenille carpet and other 'historic' textiles are no longer obtainable as their technology and skills have already been lost.
Their loss affects, not only owners and curators of historic buildings but also future architects, and textile and interior designers, whose choice will be restricted to a limited range of commercially popular textiles.
The Living Looms charity has been created to combat this alarming loss of skills, products and technologies.
Following the rescue of eleven unique Axminster carpet looms and the subsequent weaving of a special quality carpet in 2008, attention is now focused on the creation of a heritage carpet weaving workshop and textile resource centre in a building 'at risk': a derelict Victorian carpet factory in Kidderminster. <click here for video>
