Coventry’s hidden medieval gem to open its doors for visitors next month

[dutchman]

The Weaver's House in Upper Spon Street will welcome visitors on April 9



City residents are invited to step back in time to Coventry's medieval past next month.

The Weaver's House, situated in Upper Spon Street, will be throwing open its doors for a series of Open Days this year.

The first of these takes place on Saturday, April 9, with city residents able to witness first-hand how it was to live as a weaver in medieval Coventry.

With the house now restored to how it would have looked in 1540, the property displays how former resident John Croke, Coventry narrow-loom weaver, would have lived alongside his family.

There will also be tours of the house, replica loom and early Tudor style garden.

Jennifer Waters of the Spon End Building Preservation Trust, which runs The Weaver’s House, says: “This is an amazing opportunity to come and visit this hidden gem in the heart of medieval Coventry.

"It offers a rare chance to see inside The Weaver’s House and to get a real sense of how people would have lived and worked.

"We’re really excited about opening our doors and welcoming the people of Coventry back into their city’s past for our first Open Day of 2016."

[dutchman]

The Weaver's House to welcome Coventry residents for special heritage open day



The Weaver’s House in Coventry will host a special heritage crafts open day next month, it has been confirmed.

On Saturday, June 11, the house which opens for a limited number of days per year, will swing open its doors.

The Weaver’s House is part of Black Swan Terrace, six timber-framed cottages built in 1455.

The cottages were saved from demolition and restored by Spon End Building Preservation Trust, completed 2008.

Now, they will welcome city residents to experience trades which would have been familiar to medieval people, as they bring to life the authentic medieval backdrop of The Weaver’s House and its garden.

The Warwickshire Art & Craft Circle will be demonstrating woodcarving and textile crafts and Coventry Beekeepers Association will be on hand to discuss the traditional art of beekeeping.

Other skills on show will include braiding and spinning, provided by the Weavers’ Workshop and the Coventry Branch of The Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers.

Refreshments will be available from The Heritage Cake Company, who make the famous Coventry Godcakes amongst other tasty treats.

Head Heritage Baker, Leigh Waite, said: “I'm delighted that The Heritage Cake Company is going to be coming along as part of the event.

"Our Godcakes date back to the 14th Century so they would have been part of Coventry’s culinary offering when the Weaver’s House was being built.

"It’s a really exciting chance to bring a taste of our own local food heritage to such a special local historical site.”

There will also be the opportunity for visitors to examine the original medieval features of the house as well as climb the ladder into the ‘solar’ room to view the replica weaving loom.

Opening times are 11am until 4pm, with admission free and no booking necessary.

Tea and coffee will also be available.

Further open days throughout this calendar year are as follows: 9 July, 13 August, 10 and 11 September.

The Weaver’s House at 121, Upper Spon Street, CV1 3BQ, can be reached on foot from the city centre.

Some on-street parking is available in Upper Spon Street.

[dutchman]

First 'Coventry Blue' to be revealed at historic Weaver's House



HISTORY really will be in the making at the The Weaver’s House next weekend.

The first ‘Coventry Blue’ in 450 years will be revealed at the historic city attraction on Sunday (September 10), as part of Heritage Open Days.

Throughout this year, visitors to restored medieval cottage in Upper Spon Street have contributed to a weaving project marking the tenth anniversary of the house opening its doors to the public. The naturally dyed cloth that has been woven by many people during this year will be cut from the loom at 11am on Sunday.

Sara Maycock from the Weavers’ Workshop, said: “As the cloth is removed from the loom, it will be the very first opportunity to see how it’s turned out!”

“In medieval times, when the house was built, Coventry was a centre for the weaving trade and the city was best known for its fine woad dyed blue cloth, ‘Coventry Blue’.

“This inspired our project, to recreate a traditional process and give visitors a chance to get hands-on with loom weaving. We began by woad dyeing the wool during the first Weaver’s House Open Day of the year. The dyed wool was then put on a warping mill to create the correct lengths of yarn needed to ‘warp up’ our portable table loom, so weaving could begin.”

“We wonder whether this is the first new piece of ‘Coventry Blue’ cloth created within the city in some 450 years. As no one really knows what the original colour was like it’s our very own 21st century interpretation!”

After the cutting ceremony, the piece of cloth will be displayed at the house as part of the Spon Spun Art Trail which
runs from noon to 4pm on Sunday.

The Weaver’s House has been restored to show how former resident John Croke, a Coventry narrow-loom weaver and his family would have lived in 1540.

As part of Heritage Open Days, The Weavers’s House will be open from Friday until Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free and no booking is necessary. Visit http://www.theweavershouse.org for further details.

[dutchman]

Coventry's historic Weaver's House to hold family history memorial event



COVENTRY’s historic Weaver’s House will hold a special memorial event for families to come together and remember their loved ones lost during World War One.

The event – designed to mark the 100th anniversary since Armistice – will take place on Saturday (November 3) in the medieval cottages and gardens in Spon End.

It is called ‘Families of War’ and invites visitors to create a memory board – intended to share stories of family members lost at war.

It encourages participants to bring photographs and include their relatives’ personal stories and experiences.

Historical talks will be offered throughout the day and World War One artefacts will be on display.

The cottages will be adorned with woven poppies created by resident craft group Weavers’ Workshop.

A Weaver’s House spokesperson said: “At the time of the First World War, the house was home to the O’Neil family.

“Three of the young men that lived there joined the Army and were posted to France in World War One. Only one of them returned.”

One of The Weaver’s House volunteers, Clare Chamberlain, is a descendant of the O’ Neils and she will be doing a special family history talk at 11am and 12 noon.

Organisers say they expect members and former members of the Armed Forces to be in attendance.

The Weaver’s House has also been awarded two ‘There But Not There’ silhouettes – designed to represent the two former inhabitants who went to war but did not return.

The Armistice charity project aims to create an outlined figure for every name on local war memorials around the country; and position them in a place of worship, school, or workplace where a fallen member of the Armed Forces’ absence was keenly felt.

Tickets for the talk are free but must be booked online in advance due to the restricted size of the house.

The event will run from 10.30am until 1.30pm. Admission is free and light refreshments will be available.

The Weaver’s House at 121, Upper Spon Street, CV1 3BQ, can easily be reached on foot from the city centre.

More details are available at http://theweavershouse.org/families-of-war-a-special-open-day-for-remembering/

[dutchman]

Weaver's House to star in Channel 4's The Great British Dig



Weaver's House in Coventry is to feature in the new series of Channel 4's The Great British Dig.

Film crews visited the historical site, in Spon End, over the summer to film the episode.

Presenter Hugh Dennis and Christine Carr, a food historian, visited the site to film an episode about medieval traditions.

Writing on their website, Coventry Weaver's House wrote: "Last summer The Weaver’s House volunteers welcomed presenters Hugh Dennis and Christine Carr, a food historian, plus a film crew for The Great British Dig.

"Pottage (a type of thick soup) was made using a variety of ingredients including some sorrel from the garden. During the filming, Christine revealed a fact about the medieval traditions of fish eating which took place every Friday.

"Apparently, this included anything which lived in or on the water so extending the scope of ‘fish’ to include ducks and even otters. The programme will be shown in the springtime – so stay tuned!"

Based in one of the most historic areas in Coventry, Weaver's House is on a terrace of six cottages built in 1455.

The house shows how John Croke, a Coventry narrow-loom weaver and his family would have lived and worked.

At the back of the Weaver’s House is a medieval garden showing the plants that would have been grown for food, flavouring, medicine and household use.

Now in its second series, The Great British Dig follows Hugh Dennis and a team of archaeologists as they excavate the back gardens of Britain, in an attempt to uncover lost history buried beneath the manicured lawns.

Across each dig project the team delves into local legends and distant history to pick out the best sites in each location for the most important digs.

Each episode of the 10-part second series is aired on Wednesday evenings at 9pm on Channel 4.

The episode on Weaver's House will air this spring.

[Blitzkid]

Blitz-kid---
Except the stool is modern, the flax would have been in rush baskets, and the spinning wheel is missing.
Looks like my Grandmas house in the early 1930, that had loom flax and spinning wheel that my Mother had used each, in the early20th century and I saw often in the early thirties.in the spare Bedroom.
The old water mill in AG road had a room of about ten Looms that was driven by the power of the water mill, it was still working as a mill, but the looms ,lay dormant there in the 1950's but Coventry was not interested about History in those days, in fact I was threatened with trespassing by the police.
I have not searched all of this site yet, but will do over the next few months, Coventry also had rope spinning yards in the past, that supplied all the ropes for horse pulling narrow boats on the canals.

[rebbonk]

The old water mill in AG road...

Aldermans Green Road, Blitzkid?

I look forward to hearing more of your tales.

[dutchman]

The 'hidden gem' building in Coventry that shows what life was like in the 1500s



Many visitors to Coventry will flock to the vibrant cultural quarter of Fargo Village, Coventry Music Museum and the 2-Tone Cafe. But there are plenty of hidden gems to explore right that offer a fascinating insight into the city's history.

One such place is Weaver's House on Spon Street. One of the most historic areas of the city, the street has a row of six terraced cottages built in 1455 - with one cottage lovingly restored for visitors to see what life in Coventry would have been like in the 1500s.

Weaver's House was once the home of John Croke, a narrow-loom weaver. Visitors can see how he and his family would have lived and worked on one of its regular open days or as part of a group by appointment.

The house is part of Black Swan Terrace, where people would have come down Spon Street towards the city from further afield such as Chester or Lichfield. The city wall construction was completed in 1510, but the stretch from Gosford Street to Spon Street extended beyond the wall.

The six cottages were built as one structure by Coventry Priory and residents both worked and lived there. After the monastery's dissolution, the cottages were sold off and were owned by Mercer's Company.

Between the 19th and 20th centuries, the terrace was converted into shop fronts and the properties continued to be retail units until the late 1970s and 80s as they were classed as unfit for living purposes. Coventry City Council bought the cottages and there were plans to dismantle them.

But Weaver's House is still standing and is now cared for by the Spon End Building Preservation Trust. It underwent a £1.4m restoration project at the end of 2007.

The Weaver's House is a two-storey building, with the upper floor containing the loom accessed by a ladder that would have been used by John Croke. The rear of Weaver's House includes a medieval garden showing the plants that would have been grown for food, medicine, flavouring, and household use.

The attraction has an impressive 4.5 star rating on Tripadvisor. One reviewer, Michelle said it was a 'very enjoyable learning experience': "Rare opportunity to see an actual working person house from the middle ages. Knowledgeable and helpful guides."

Lizzy added that it was a "gem": "Where else can you get the feel and vibe of a medieval dwelling house for ordinary people. It was wonderful - and had an impact on the dwelling house in the fifteenth century. From house to garden plot - with admirable guides."

Another visitor added: "I discovered this extraordinary building by chance. A guide kindly invited me inside to look around. He was very knowledgeable about the history of this beautifully restored cottage, which gives a rare insight into how people lived in the fifteenth century. Fascinating and a credit to everyone involved in the project."

The open days are free and are usually held every month on Saturdays, and twice a month in September for Heritage Open Days. The next open day is on Saturday, April 6, and runs from 10am to 4pm.

Location: 121 Upper Spon St, Coventry CV1 3BQ. For more information about Weaver's House, visit the website.

[dutchman]

As Melisandre pointed-out earlier, the house is NOT "wheelchair friendly".