'Quirky' Midlands museum closing down after visitor numbers dwindle to just six per day

Britain’s only carpet museum is closing down – after visitors dwindled to just six per day.

The Museum of Carpet in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, first opened in 2012 in an 18th century mill at the heart of the industrial revolution.

The visitor attraction - billed as the UK’s carpet capital – featured hundreds of rug and underlay samples from the last 300 years.

In the early years, the museum attracted coach loads of fabric fans and school groups who spent hours poring over the exhibits.

It even gained bizarre cult status online and received a four-star rating on TripAdvisor with some describing it as “an absolute gem”.

The museum even posted a tongue-in-cheek video of Gary Barlow describing the attraction as a “very nice day out”.

But after visitor numbers dwindled to an average of just six-a-day, bosses decided to pull the plug.

The museum, which charges £6 for adults and £17 for families, will close its doors on December 20.

Geoffrey Gilbert, chair of the Carpet Museum Trust, said: “Certainly, in the last four or five years we have really struggled and we're about £30,000 to £50,000 short of what we need.

"The business model we have for keeping the museum going produces a demand on us in terms of what would be staff, utilities and general running costs for the building.

"It comes to about £100,000 for the year but generating income to match that has been very difficult over the years."

Mr Gilbert said The Carpet Museum Trust would continue to look after the collection.

Locals have expressed their disappointment in losing the museum, with some describing it as the town’s “jewel in the crown”.

Retired teacher Emily Sykes, 64, said: “I am really sorry to see the museum closing.

“When I was teaching we would often take groups of pupils to the museum for school trips but the schools don’t have the money now.

“It’s a pity to lose it, it kept the history of the town’s industry alive for the younger generation.”

Social media users also expressed their opinions on the decline of the quirky museum.

One said: “It was only a matter of time before the rug was pulled from beneath them.”

Another said: “Enjoyed my first shag pile in there when I was younger. Special place.”