The transition from war to peace can be difficult on industry, yet one Hampshire-based company managed to adapt, survive and grow through the Second World War.

During the war, Solent Carpet Company, located in a side street off Regents Park Road, made blankets, then balloons, and finally sheet metal and light engineering projects.

Just a year after the end of the war, and the looms were rattling once again, although production was about one-third of the pre-war figures.

The team were once again making carpets and rugs, churning them out for not only homes, but for overseas trade.

When war came and the need for factory space was overwhelming, the looms were taken to a shed in the middle of Salisbury Plain – but arrived back in excellent condition.

The managing director, Mr Clarke, joined the Army himself, eventually becoming a tank driver. To his surprise, he found that parts of his tank were made by Solent Carpet Company.

One particular job the company carried out was veiled in secrecy, a waterproofing project the exact nature of which even those who made the product were unsure.

Shortly after the Dieppe raid, Germans dropped leaflets over Southampton showing a British tank out of action during the battle. On the tank could be seen one of the secret water-proofing devices and thus the secret was no more.

By 1949 Southampton was above the national target for carpet production – responsible for more than 60 per cent of the total.

The carpets were being exported to more than 20 countries including Australia, South Africa, Switzerland, America, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Malaya and New Zealand.

In October that same year, the company recorded a huge milestone, they had woven a million yards of carpet since VE-Day – in four-and-a-half years.

About 436,800 yards of that were destined for overseas – 43 per cent of their entire production.

In early 1952 a textile slump meant danger for the company as exports consequently fell to 16 per cent.

During the summer, business began to grow again as the factory began churning out four-and-a-half miles of carpet every week, with some of the looms booked up for as much as nine months ahead.

A large portion of the exports at this stage were to Switzerland, a country Mr Clark was particularly happy about supplying.

“Our sales there are probably the largest of any British carpet company,” said Mr Clark.

“Switzerland is one of the few really hard-currency markets in Europe and they can buy exactly where they want. The fact they prefer our carpets is a big feather in our cap.”

All the designs were handled by the company and they were always surprised by the difference in taste, not just from country to country, but throughout regions in the UK.

In 1953, for instance, the London market was dominated by small patterns on a plain background, while the industrial north preferred a harder-wearing carpet and brighter colours.

In 1962, admiral of the fleet, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, opened a new mill on the Budd Lane industrial site, Romsey. A carpet was given to him as a gift.

Less than three years later and the company found it necessary to increase the Romsey factory’s floor area by a staggering 40 per cent – a move that saw their profits rocket like never before.

That year the company saw trading profits of £161,463 – the equivalent of more than £3m in today’s money – and even this figure rose in the following years.

In 1973 the looms in the Romsey factory were moved to one in Regent’s Park – a job which took months.

In November 1980 the Solent Carpet company announced the closure of its factory in Southampton, resulting in the loss of around 160 jobs.