Axminster is a small market town on the eastern border of Devon. The town is built on a hill overlooking the River Axe which heads towards the English Channel at Axmouth and is in the East Devon local government district. The market is still held every Thursday.

Axminster gave its name to a type of carpet. An Axminster-type power loom is capable of weaving high quality carpets with infinite colours and patterns. While Axminster carpet is made in the town of Axminster this type of carpet is now manufactured all over the world.

The history of the town is very much linked to the carpet industry, started by Thomas Whitty at Court House near the church in 1755. The completion of the early hand tufted carpets was marked by a peal of bells from the parish church as it took a great amount of time and labour to complete them. Axminster Railway Station was opened on 19 July 1860, with the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) offering direct services between Queen Street Station in Exeter and Yeovil. The station building was designed by the LSWR's architect Sir William Tite in mock gothic style. In 1903, the branch line from Axminster to Lyme Regis was opened. This branch line was closed with the Beeching cuts, in the 1960s. The engine has been preserved on the Bluebell Line, in Sussex, while the station was dismantled and reconstructed at New Alresford, on the Watercress Line, in Hampshire.

Axminster is the southern starting point of the Taunton Stop Line, a World War II defensive line consisting of pillboxes and anti-tank obstacles, which runs north to the Somerset coast near Highbridge.

Nearby Kilmington was used as a location for the 1998 LWT adaptation of Tess of the d'Urbervilles. The celebrity chef and TV presenter Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has his River Cottage H.Q. at a 60 acre farm in the Axe valley. He has since purchased an old inn of the town to convert to an organic produce shop/market and canteen.

Key Stats

• The population for the market town area has risen by around 12% since 1991. The rate of growth in Axminster is twice that of the remaining parishes. The population is around 6000.
• The level of households occupied by individuals in the market town area as a whole is similar to the district and county averages. Single person occupancy is higher in the urban centre.
• Unemployment levels in the Axminster area are similar to the county and district averages. Rates are significantly below the national figure.
• Claim rates for Income Support and Job Seekers Allowance are similar across the market town area. Claim rates for both benefits are significantly below the national average in all areas.
• The number of households with an annual income of less than £20,000 in the market town area is broadly similar to the district and county averages, although rates in Axminster parish are higher.
• The highest proportion of people who are employed work in the manufacturing sector. The largest number of businesses are in wholesale and retail.
• Achievement rates for GSCEs at grades A* to C were also better for children living outside Axminster although the percentage of children achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to G was similar across the area.
• Select here for more statistics about Axminster and surrounding area. (1.01MB - pdf help)