Page 47 - History-of-flooringLR

A history of

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11 April 2012

Cullingford Carpets

Formed in March 1978 Cullingford Carpets has built a reputation for quality A few years later it became apparent that space was lacking and at the time a
and service beyond compare. But the full story begins long before that time. new business park was being built on the outskirts of Wincanton. A local coach
Keith Cullingford (Stewart’s father) began selling carpet in Hounslow and company had purchased a site and started to erect a building but unfortunately
Feltham in the sixties and worked for a man called Cyril Lord. He was the first for them they had run into money problems. This was perfect timing and after a
person to import man made carpet into this country. (As a little side story if small amount of negotiation Cullingford’s purchased and completed the
anyone can remember the original Batman and Robin series at the beginning of building. It was at the time some 5,000sq ft and this along with the premises in
the show you can see him waving from a tall tower.) Mere and the high street store was perfect for all their needs.
In the meantime, while all this was happening Sharon had started selling and
manufacturing curtains.
This was a highly successful part of the overall business and worked well with
everything that they where currently selling.
About three years later it was decided that a further extension should be put on
to the warehouse facility in Wincanton and therefore the small high street shop
would close. Then at the early part of this century the Mere premises where also
closed and everything was condensed into the warehouse. Soft furnishings
where manufactured on the second floor, and partly housed rugs, and on the
ground floor flooring and soft furnishings where sold.
Keith worked there for approximately five years and this was at a time when the
only flooring available in this country would have been traditional Wilton or Never being able to stay still for long, in 2014 a shop became available in
Axminster. So there would be some interesting challenges to convince people to Gillingham, Dorset and this is a showroom for everything that Cullingford’s are
change their thinking. Price was of course a major part of overcoming these known for. In the summer of 2021 a further extension was put onto the
problems, albeit that when you walked on some of this flooring and then Wincanton showroom to increase the storage of carpets, vinyls, LVT and wood.
touched something metal it was like fireworks night.
With this now completed from the beginning of 2023 Cullingford’s are hoping
In 1969 Keith and his family moved to the West Country where Keith was born to start a new venture and a new company, the name will be Aspie and will offer
and he took another couple of jobs before Stewart left school. Having had the wholesale goods throughout the south west it will also wholesale to major
experience of working alongside his father Stewart started an apprentice course contractors.
for flooring – this led him into starting the business with his father in 1978 from
a second-floor shop in the middle of a small town called Mere (the shop was The road had been a long one and sometimes we have hit bumps in the road
originally called Waltons). says Stewart, but as long as you have a firm belief in what you are doing and
concentrate on that, things work out fine.
Keith did most of the selling and Stewart the fitting, but very soon it became Cullingford’s now employ over thirty members of staff including all their
apparent that more fitters would be required, so though Keith’s contacts in the installers – this is particularly unusual as the majority of companies sub-con-
trade a further three fitters were taken on as sub-contractors. Very soon the tract this work out. We are able to give the customer a greater degree of
business grew and by chance the ground floor, that was at the time a post office, assurance that they will never be dealing with a third party, if ever there is a
became available, so the whole space was taken on, selling rugs, stock carpet and problem or issue we are there to take care of it immediately.
vinyl.
Cullingford have also been very keen to improve their green credentials and in
Sharon, Stewart’s wife joined the business at this point concentrating primarily 2016 a carpet crusher was purchased and now all carpet and underlay waste is
on the sales of rugs. It was an interesting time as Stewart remembers as back in balled and sent off for recycling. We have also installed solar panelling to cut the
the 20s to 50s, the premises was considered to be the Harrods of the West cost of heating and lighting, a further innovation is that we have put in an
Country and many older people would come to the shop and regale stories of electric power point to charge electric vehicles. Although we currently only have
when they worked there. Carpet was regularly sent from Wilton carpet factory five electric vehicles we hope over time all our fleet will become electric. All glue
to be hand stitched ready for fitting into various stately homes and also royal buckets waste LVT and vinyl is recycled, cardboard, plastic, wood and metal the
residences. same.
In fact when they took over the whole premises there were still the nameplates
of small villages in the surrounding area hung on the walls where the provisions
where stored for the following day’s deliveries – all by horse and cart of course.
Cullingford’s traded very successfully from here for the next twelve years until at
this point Keith found a small high street premises that was for rent in
Wincanton. So Stewart and his father went to view the shop one Sunday It has been nearly 45 years that Cullingford’s have been in business and they are
morning – it was ideal and the owner of the building lived above so it seemed hoping that the traditions they laid down will continue – Stewart’s son Henry
perfect. and his business partner Adam are learning all aspects of the trade with a view
to taking over completely. I am sure the business will go from strength to
Stewart then asked how much the lady required for rental and she replied £40. strength, said Stewart, and continue for many years to come.
Stewart thought this was a great as he was prepared to go up to a hundred per
week, however it soon became apparent that this was £40 per month and not per 01963 33574
week as Stewart had assumed, so they shook on the deal there and then and info@cullingfordcarpets.co.uk
trading started within the next month. www.cullingfordcarpets.co.uk

The History of Flooring 47