The exotic ballroom carpet from Chavenage House - the country manor that doubles as ‘Trenwith’ in the BBC’s Poldark series and as a mansion in the new Jilly Cooper / Disney Rivals series - will be auctioned by Chorley’s auctioneers on 22 October. The almost palatial 26 ft x 20 ft ‘Ziegler’ ballroom carpet was commissioned by the family from the Sultanabad area of West Persia, circa 1900, likely through the Manchester firm of Ziegler & Co. - Bids are expected in the region of £15,000 - £20,000
The exotic ballroom carpet from Chavenage House - the country manor that doubles as ‘Trenwith’ in the BBC’s Poldark series and as a mansion in the new Jilly Cooper / Disney Rivals series - will be auctioned by Cotswold-based Chorley’s auctioneers on 22 October.
The enormous 26 ft x 20 ft ‘Ziegler’ ballroom carpet was tailor made in the Sultanabad area of West Persia circa 1900. It features an all over design of flowering vines and bold palmettes framed by a wide indigo border of bold samovar motifs, curled leaves and flowerheads, flanked by triple guard-stripes. Bids are expected in the region of £15,000 - £20,000.
Chavenage is one of the most recognised country houses in the UK, having hosted stars including David Tennant, Aiden Turner, Mark Rylance, Alex Hassell and Eddie Redmayne alongside leading ladies Eleanor Tomlinson, Gemma Arterton and Anya Taylor-Joy on sets for Poldark, Rivals, Emma, Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Wolf Hall among others.
More privately, Chavenage has also hosted Royal family members and English society events for centuries. Gentry and celebrities alike have been captivated by the Elizabethan house’s glorious gardens, tapestry-adorned function rooms and haunted history – and the oak panelled ballroom and its beautiful carpet have been at the heart (and under the feet) of it all.
Thomas Jenner-Fust, auctioneer and director at Chorley’s said “Royalty, film stars and ghosts – the Ziegler carpet at Chavenage has seen them all. We’re very excited to be selling it at auction. In 1904 the Chavenage owners thought ‘it would have been social death not to have a ballroom’, so they added a new wing to their house to accommodate one. These days people are building a party barn instead of a ballroom, but they still need a beautiful swimming pool-sized carpet to dress it, so we’re seeing a lot of interest in our upcoming sale.”
The Lowsley-Williams family, owners of Chavenage, bought the Ziegler carpet for a ballroom in the new Edwardian West Wing of their house in 1904/5 under the direction of the architect J. T. Micklethwaite.
The Manchester based Anglo-Swiss company of Ziegler & Co. manufactured carpets in the Sultanabad and Tabriz regions of Persia in the late 19th and early 20th Century. The company brought Western design sensibilities and tastes, as well as preferred and custom sizes to the carpet weavers in Iran. Many of the designs were derived from traditional Persian forebears but scaled and re-imagined in hues and scales to suit the European consumer. Ziegler carpets were retailed through luxury retails such as Harvey Nichols and Liberty of London.
The auction Fine Art & Antiques will take place on 22 October at Chorley's in Prinknash Abbey Park
