Aubusson Tapestry

Aubusson weaves tapestry the hard way. The loom lies horizontal, the design sits underneath as a full-size cartoon, and the weaver works on the reverse of the cloth, checking progress with a mirror and seeing the finished face only when it comes off the loom. The town has done this since at least the fifteenth century, collapsed when fashion moved on, and was pulled back in the twentieth century by artists who treated tapestry as a medium rather than as furnishing. The craft went onto the UNESCO intangible heritage list in 2009. A museum opened in a converted school in 2016 gathers the historic panels and commissions new work that keeps the local workshops busy.

What you actually see

• The low-warp looms - horizontal, worked from behind with the cartoon below.
• The tapestry museum - historic panels hung in a converted school building.
• Contemporary commissions - modern designs woven at full architectural scale.
• The working town - weaving still done in Aubusson and neighbouring Felletin.

When to go

Spring to autumn suits the Creuse, which is green, wet and thinly populated. The museum opens year round with shorter winter hours; weaving demonstrations run to a schedule rather than continuously, so check the day's programme before travelling. The town is quiet on Sundays and shuts almost completely in the middle of the day.

Honest expectations

Aubusson is a long way from anywhere and there is little else in it, so without a car the trip is hard to justify for one museum. Tapestry rewards patience, and a whole hall of it defeats people who came for a quick look. Demonstrations are short and not guaranteed on any given day. Interpretation is mostly in French.

Nearby

The neighbouring weaving town of Felletin, the Millevaches plateau and the porcelain workshops of Limoges.