We tell the local story from the prehistoric axe makers, the Iron Age hillforts, Roman roads, the Anglo-Saxon development of the Minster and subsequent growth of the town. Learn about Newenham Abbey on the outskirts of town and its total destruction by Henry VIII and key figures who helped shaped the area. No history of Axminster would be complete without the story of the world-famous Axminster carpets. We are housed in the second phase of the Whitty family carpet factory and have on display original Georgian Whitty carpets.