Delving into the Pile: Analysing Historical Stoddard Templeton Carpets for Textile Design Process Explication

Within the textile design domain, the creative process often remains tacit and solely the knowledge of the individual creator. This paper describes approaches to analysing a collection of historical samples produced by the Scottish carpet manufacturers Stoddard Templeton in order to unearth and explicate textile design processes. The name Stoddard Templeton denotes a group of once prolific companies, synonymous with the formation and development of the carpet industry in the United Kingdom. Developing from Paisley shawl production, the foundations of James Templeton & Co date to 1839 when, with William Quigley, James Templeton patented a chenille making process which pioneered the mechanisation of carpet manufacturing. In 1862, American Arthur Francis Stoddard formed the Glenpatrick Carpet Mills and then A F Stoddard & Co in Elderslie. Existing for over 160 years, Stoddard Templeton designed and manufactured carpets for an array of highly prestigious Royal occasions and residencies. They also produced for events such as the Festival of Britain. The interiors of Glasgow Cathedral, the Scottish Parliament and the White House, have at one time featured Stoddard Templeton carpets. The companies designed and manufactured for ocean liners including the Titanic and Queen Mary, for hotels, bars, restaurants, offices and other contract interiors throughout the world. An abundance of domestic designs were created which carpeted millions of homes. In addition to their in-house design teams Stoddard Templeton commissioned an array of reputable designers including Charles Voysey, Walter Crane, Frank Brangwyn, Enid Marx, Marion Dorn and Mary Quant. Throughout their individual and collective existence, to assist expansion, a number of subsidiary companies were purchased. Regrettably, in the latter half of the twentieth century interior trends and consumer preference for exposed floorboards, hardwood, concrete and high performance surfaces for flooring, coupled with competition from overseas, led to a decline in carpet manufacturing in the United Kingdom. The closure of the remaining company, Stoddard International PLC in 2005 marked the poignant demise of the West of Scotland carpet industry. However, within the residue remained an unrivalled historically significant archive containing inspirational design references, design work, corporate records and carpet examples. A consortium comprising The Glasgow School of Art Library, University of Glasgow Archive Services and Glasgow Life formed to purchase and safeguard this archive for future generations. A group of textile samples from this acquired collection, now held by the Archives & Collections Centre at The Glasgow School of Art, provide the focus for this paper. The thirteen samples date from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Prior to commencement of the research, only minimal details listed on a conservation report were known. Visual motif, product form, production technique and impact of manufacturing process on design have been analysed. Through studying these artefacts it has been possible to uncover aspects of design process methodology and in particular the utilisation of inspirational reference library and archive resource materials in the creative process. In certain instances it has been possible to identify specific dates of origin, a complex task when investigating an industry in which design reproduction and adaptation played a prominent role. This study has formed part of a larger project examining the workings of the Stoddard Templeton design studio. The insights gained contribute to minimal existent knowledge in the carpet and textile disciplines regarding design process and designers’ utilisation of archival resources from a historical perspective