Thames Carpets
Discover the Woven Tale Behind Thames Carpets: A Legacy of Passion from Joseph to Bahram and Sophie
Our Story
Founded in 1956 by Joseph Benardout, Thames Carpets passion for rugs spans generations and is currently run by father and daughter duo Bahram and Sophie Javadi-Babreh.
Bahram started weaving rugs as a child in his home village in the mountains of Northwestern Iran. He came to England in 1978 to study engineering at university, but was pleasantly surprised to discover the country’s appreciation for oriental carpets. With his rug weaving expertise and an unwavering passion for the art, he left university and embarked on a career in hand woven rugs and textiles.
Fuelled by curiosity he quickly found his way into the buying and selling world of antique rugs, and used his weaving experience to start a rug restoration business in Lincolnshire. They say every cloud has a silver lining and this proved true in the event that led to the meeting of Thames Carpets and Bahram.
Joe Benardout describes the original carpet cleaning machine to American visitors, June 1969
Derek Benardout and Jack Poyastro, relatives to Joseph.
Bahram at Tehran airport the day he immigrated to England (third from left, back row), April 1978
Thames Carpets stand at a rug fair, 1990’s
Bahram pictured in an article celebrating Thames Carpets 40th anniversary. He was running his own rug business in Lincolnshire at the time but worked with Thames Carpets regularly, June 1996
Excerpt from an article on Bahram and his then wife Mandy’s rug business in Lincolnshire, May1998
A Signature Bond: The Inception of Bahram's Legacy
Joseph had retired and his sons David and Cecil were running the business. You may be aware that some handmade rugs have a signature at the bottom, this is the signature of the weaver. David and Cecil faced disaster when their repairer accidentally removed the signature on a client’s rug !
They were advised that there was only one repairer in the UK that could re-weave an identical copy of the signature. Bahram wove the signature and a trusting relationship was formed, when Joseph’s sons retired in 2001 he was honoured to be handed the reins of the business.
Bahram now runs the company alongside his daughter Sophie. Sophie has grown up with rugs as her playground and is thrilled to have the opportunity to continue the celebration of this timeless artform.
Bahram and Sophie at Thames Carpets, 2002
Bahram on a carpet he wove as a replacement for the damaged originals at Stafford County Hall
Thames Carpets moves to Newtown Road, Henley-on-Thames, 2002 - The original showroom was located on Reading Road, Henley-on-Thames by Christ Church
Bahram and Sophie at Thames Carpets, 2024
What we offer
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Thames Carpets currently holds a diverse collection of over 1000 handmade rugs from all areas of the world in every size, style, age and price-range. Some styles you will find in our collection include Antique Persian rugs, Mid-century rugs, European rugs, American rugs, Arts & Crafts rugs, Art Deco rugs, Vintage Kilims, Oriental rugs, Contemporary rugs etc. Whether you have a specific rug in mind or are seeking inspiration, your rug is waiting to be discovered in our collection.
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In addition to our rug collection Thames Carpets are proud to offer an esteemed and first-class rug cleaning and restoration service. With over 65 years of experience, you can rest assured that your treasured rugs are being handled by specialists. Our previous jobs include restoring the carpets for Windsor castle after the fire in June 1992, cleaning the carpet at Westminster Abbey for a royal wedding and much work for the National Trust.
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Alongside antique rugs we also design and weave our own collections and custom rugs. Our experience in handling unrivalled antique rugs, paired with our extensive knowledge in rug weaving and restoration, enables us to create handmade rugs of exceptional quality. Sustainability is extremely important to us, that’s why our rugs are made from 100% natural and biodegradable materials.