THE name of former Durham carpetmaker to the Queen, Hugh Mackay, has been bought by a Middlesbrough company.

The name of Hugh Mackay carpets, which went into administration and closed a year ago with the loss of 238 jobs, will be revived by Whitestone Weavers, in Middlesbrough.

Whitestone said it would be creating jobs and boosting group turnover with the acquisition of the brand, which it is setting up as a subsidiary business, called Gaskell Mackay.

The closure of the Hugh Mackay carpet company, in Durham, last April, brought to an end more than a century of manufacturing tradition.

Hugh Mackay's distinctive Durham Cathedral logo is recognised across the world. The brand was bought by Gaskell , which is based in Lancashire, after the Durham factory closed.

Now Gaskell has also gone into administration, and Middlesbrough businessman Steve Byrne has brought the Mackay name back to the North-East by buying the brand.

His carpet company, Whitestone Weavers, has bought the intellectual property rights of Gaskell Mackays which, as Hugh Mackays, was renowned for supplying carpets to the Queen and the QE1 and QE2 liners.

Mr Byrne said: "We are delighted to be bringing such a long-established and renowned name back to the North East."

Hugh Mackays grew out of the region's medieval weaving tradition.

Following the acquisition by Whitestone, the company will trade as Gaskell Mackays Carpets Limited - under which also comes the famous Wilton carpets brand and the Durham Carpets name.

It will operate alongside Whitestone's existing contract service.

Mr Byrne said: "Mackays has always been a big name in the contract carpet sector.

"Whitestone launched its own bespoke contract carpet service a few months ago and the acquisition will considerably strengthen our offering."

Renowned for its high quality products, the Hugh Mackays name was synonymous with the Wilton and Axminster brand names and boasted big name clients, including Caesar's Palace casino, in Las Vegas, the Houses of Parliament and Windsor Castle.

The company also held a Royal Warrant.

Established in 1991, Whitestone Weavers designs and markets a range of woven Axminster and wool products.

Gaskell Mackays Carpets Limited will be based at Whitestone Weavers' head office, on the Whitestone Business Park, Saltwells Road, in Middlesbrough.

Whitestone, which distributes the products from its base in Middlesbrough, but has manufacturing sites in Europe and elsewhere in the UK, took on some of the former Mackays staff last year after it went into administration.

Mr Byrne said he would be creating more jobs as a result of the acquisition - but could not say how many.