The Weaver's House

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  • Other Places from the Past: Blakesley Hall

    Other Places from the Past: Blakesley Hall

    Volunteers at The Weaver’s House enjoy visiting other interesting places. In this guest post, volunteer Tina shares her visit to Blakesley Hall, a historical counterpoint to The Weaver’s House.

     

    Blakesley Hall is part of the Birmingham museums and art galleries. Like The Weavers House it has Grade II* listing and is well worth the trip to Yardley to compare the lifestyle of a wealthier Tudor family with the Crokes of Upper Spon Street.
    It was built in 1590 and is one of Birmingham’s oldest buildings. It also has a large garden. The house has a timber frame construction and many interesting features. The kitchen is full of fascinating equipment and contains an intriguing mouse trap – unless you happen to be a mouse! Due to the status of the owners it has many more rooms than in our little house and all reveal clues to a bygone lifestyle.

    The “painted chamber” is a remarkable survivor from when the house was built and the gallery has a fabulous wonky floor. The site was open for a special Tudor weekend with all sorts of entertainments in the garden when I visited but would be good on any day. There is plenty of parking and a tea room.

    Find out more.

     

    Photo credit: Birmingham Museums.

  • Apple Trees are the fruit of volunteers’ labour

    Apple Trees are the fruit of volunteers’ labour

    The Gardening group met on 31 October to plant some new additions to the garden – four apple trees. The apple trees are all English heritage varieties, at least one of which pre-dates the existence of the Weaver’s House itself:

    Old Pearmain, which is the earliest recorded English apple, existing before 1200AD.
    Wyken Pippen, which has been selected for its Coventry connection. It is thought that Lord Craven took a pip from an apple brought back from Holland or France and then planted it at Wyken.
    Leathercoat Russet, this apple was once widely grown in Britain, and is referred to by Shakespeare in Henry IV.
    English Codlin, a cooking apple which as its name suggests requires only gentle ‘coddling’ to soften.

    The planting of these trees was the culmination of months of research and hard work led by gardening volunteer Margaret. It took place on a beautiful autumn morning, unseasonably warm and sunny for Halloween. There was a concern that the planting had hit a literal stumbling block with the discovery of a hefty piece of wood buried right along the bed earmarked for the trees. However this was quickly excavated and the trees were planted starting with the newest variety, Wyken Pippin and completed with Old Pearmain.

    The fruit trees were supplied by Bernwode Fruit Trees.

    Digging over the bed.
    Digging over the bed.
    Sylvia plants the Wyken Pippin
    Sylvia plants the Wyken Pippen.