As the town of Kidderminster enjoys the wet weather this November, the Museum of Carpet looks back at one of the worst floods Kidderminster has experienced, with these photos from the Museum archives.

In March 1955 the River Stour overflowed its banks, affecting the town centre and many of the carpet companies. The carpet companies all had a flood plan - rolls of carpet and other raw materials were raised from the ground and the vulnerable parts of the factory isolated from electricity.

However, even after the floods had subsided and the clear up had begun it was still days before the looms wove their first piece.

This account is from Melvyn Thompson who has written a number of books on Kidderminster’s history. Mr Thompson’s books are available from the gift shop at the Museum of Carpet, alongside a wide selection of both new and second hand books on local history, the carpet industries, and technical processes of carpet-making.