Power Looms were first introduced to the UK at the Great Exhibition (1851) by an American called Erastus Bigelow from Massachusetts.

The Kidderminster weavers were slow to pick up on the new technology, and were soon lagging behind their competition. They had no choice but to invest in the new machines and the weaving sheds that were needed to house them. The skyline of Kidderminster began to change as boiler houses, mills and chimneys began to appear.

The weaving shed at James Humphries and Sons Limited in 1914, showing the Spool Axminster Looms which were patented in 1874. These looms were a real breakthrough at the time, the lightweight machinery was ideal for female operators and the looms produced carpets with an unlimited number of colours and patterns.

The second image shows young girls filling the spools for the Axminster looms, which were then loaded onto the loom in an endless conveyor chain, each spool producing one row of a pattern. We have an Axminster Spool Loom here at the Museum of Carpet, our volunteers operate the machinery once a day at 12pm and it really is a sight to behold. We are always looking for volunteers with experience of running power looms, if you would like to join our weaving team please get in touch! Email volunteers@museumofcarpet.org.uk.