Sir John Soane’s Museum is the extraordinary house and museum of the British architect Sir John Soane (1753-1837). He was one of the foremost architects of the Regency era, Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy, and a dedicated collector of paintings, sculpture, architectural fragments and models, books, drawings and furniture.
The Museum has been kept as it was at the time of his death in 1837, and displays his vast collection of antiquities, furniture, sculptures, architectural models and paintings.
Grosvenor Wilton were commissioned to re-create historic carpets for the North and South Drawing Rooms, matching the carpets laid by Soane in c.1834. Lady Susan Stern, Historic Carpet Consultant worked with the Museum to identify the pattern in the extensive Grosvenor Wilton archive and worked with Grosvenor Wilton to develop the correct colour-way.
The archives of Sir John Soane's Museum are rich in detail and were the source of information on the weave and design of the carpet in the South Drawing Room. The Inventory of 1837 describes the carpet as ‘fitted to the floor of this room, the Recesses etc.’ This confirms that the carpet was a Brussels weave, a loop-pile carpet woven in 27 inch widths. Brussels carpet became highly fashionable in the Regency period, it could be fitted to the most intricate room profiles producing the desired furnished and comfortable appearance. The original pattern of a trellis of foliage enclosing flowers is clearly indicated in contemporary images and a matching design from the archives of Grosvenor Wilton was used. The colours were chosen to complement the bold yellow of the restored wall paint in the Drawing Room and details such as the bright blue flowers, seen in the original watercolour view of the carpet in situ, enliven the overall effect. Grosvenor Wilton were able to recreate the original structure of the carpet using their traditional looms.
