Carpet square
Maker & role
James Templeton & Co. (estab. 1839), Manufacturer
Production date
circa 1935
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Object detail
Production place
Collection
Measurements
0 - Whole, L: 322 x W: 273cm (L: 3220 x W: 2730mm)
Signature & marks
Card label sewn to reverse: "TEMPLETON \ AXMINSTER SEAMLESS CARPET \ ..... \ MANUFACTURED IN SCOTLAND"
Credit line
Gift, NSW Department of Planning and Environment, 1987
Rouse Hill Estate Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Rouse Hill Estate Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Caption
A wool machine made seamless Axminster carpet square, manufactured by James Templeton & Co., circa 1935
Description
A wool machine made seamless Axminster carpet square, the two shorter sides hemmed. By 1935, Axminster carpets were the most common variety available for the middle class home in Australia. The 1935 general catalogue for Sydney retailer Anthony Hordern & Sons lists three grades or qualities of Axminster carpet squares, each in up to eight sizes. This carpet, measuring 10 feet 6 inches x 9 feet, was in the middle range of sizes.
This carpet square is located in the School Room at Rouse Hill estate. It was most likely purchased to replace the existing China matting around 1960, when Gerald Terry (1904-1999) bought a number of second hand carpets for the house at auction in Parramatta. According to Gerald's daughter Caroline Thornton, her father treated sales as a 'great adventure': "he was one of those people who got a lot of pleasure from looking through 'junk' for a hidden bargain". Carpets like this one from the 1930s with its autumn colours and geometric motifs were out of fashion by the 1960s and could be purchased relatively cheaply. In 1997, the carpet was displayed in the Historic Houses Trust's exhibition, 'Underfoot: Floorcoverings in Australia 1800-1950' (#86).
This carpet square is located in the School Room at Rouse Hill estate. It was most likely purchased to replace the existing China matting around 1960, when Gerald Terry (1904-1999) bought a number of second hand carpets for the house at auction in Parramatta. According to Gerald's daughter Caroline Thornton, her father treated sales as a 'great adventure': "he was one of those people who got a lot of pleasure from looking through 'junk' for a hidden bargain". Carpets like this one from the 1930s with its autumn colours and geometric motifs were out of fashion by the 1960s and could be purchased relatively cheaply. In 1997, the carpet was displayed in the Historic Houses Trust's exhibition, 'Underfoot: Floorcoverings in Australia 1800-1950' (#86).
Accession number
R84/1180
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