Wilton Royal Carpet Factory
of King Street, Wilton, Salisbury
One of Britain's oldest carpet factories
1889 Yates and Co, of the Royal Carpet Factory, Wilton, was incorporated to continue and extend the carpet making industry carried on in Wilton for 2 centuries. It made Axminster and Wilton carpets.
1896 Issue of shares to pay-off the debentures; the company would then be listed on the Stock Exchange. The company had 3 factories - at Wilton, Salisbury and Southampton, as well as warehouses. Directors were Pardoe Yates, Rachel Yates and James Lander who held a personal appointment as carpet maker to the Queen[1]
1906 Carpet Manufacturers, awarded the Royal Warrant[2], and many more followed.
By 1945 was owned by the family of Lord Pembroke; he recruited S. H. R. (Rendall) Clarke to help turn around the business which was in financial difficulties[3]
The business continued to struggle, making some of the most expensive but hand-made carpets, until 1957 when Clarke introduced a new strategy, imported new machines and destroyed the old ones. The company became profitable.
1968 Wilton Royal Carpets, a private company, merged with Solent Carpet Co, which was already quoted on the Stock Exchange, as the Wilton Royal Carpet Co. The companies shared a managing director and both had interest in Hampshire Industrial Carpets, maker of tufted carpets[4]
1969 Acquired by Youghal Carpets of Ireland[5]