Thomas Whitty and Old Carpet Factory blue plaque

This blue commemorative plaque records: The Old Carpet Factory. This large grey stone building was erected in 1828 on the site of Thomas Whitty's original carpet factory, which was destroyed by fire two years earlier. Closed as a factory in 1835, it was used as the towns hospital before the new hospital was built in Chard Street. Before the First World War it was the headquarters of the Territorial Battalion. Recorded plaque organisation: Rotary Club of Axminster.

Thomas Whitty was a carpet manufacturer who established his factory in 1826; his enterprise contributed significantly to the local economy until destroyed by fire and subsequently rebuilt in 1828, serving various community functions thereafter.