Over the next few months, we will be telling the story of Fine Worcester Twist through this newsletter. Today we start at the very beginning.
In 1990, Mr David Adam (former MD) and Mr Jim Bennett (former SD) had an idea. This idea was to produce a twist carpet like no other. Price was not going to drive the range, colour and innovation were.
David Adam sourced a 1/10th gauge machine that was able to produce a carpet with a fine, pinpoint finish unlike any other twist. This combined with a ‘superfine’ yarn enabled a surface that was denser and smoother than a standard twist carpet.
The machine also had the ability to produce 5m wide, which was extremely rare in the UK at that time. Thus, Fine Worcester Twist became the first carpet available to the wider marketplace with a 5m width as standard.
After many months of trying different yarn blends, the ‘superfine’ yarn was eventually settled upon and duly ordered from Walter Walker & Sons, Dewsbury. The original order acknowledgement is pictured below. You will note that the original yarn was dyed by Walkers. Today all the dyeing of Fine Worcester is done in our own dye house.
The initial yarn order dated 21st February 1991 for Fine Worcester Twist
The name ‘Fine Worcester Twist’ was chosen by Jim Bennett. Hilary Terry (former Designer at Adam) selected the colours along with David and Jim and an initial range of 20 colours appeared in May 1991.
Hilary, who retired two years ago remembers Jim choosing the name:
“Jim wanted something to fit in with our county and it sounded quite classy. The colours were then all named after Worcestershire towns, villages and hamlets with the colour name starting with the same initial (i.e Belbroughton Blue). This was very important, but also increasingly difficult!”
The colours were chosen and the design of the labels finalised and the range was ready to be launched!
An initial draft, hand drawn, of the first Fine Worcester label
