We have exciting plans to develop the site, to tell more of the stories of the people who have lived here and enable us to deliver a better visitor experience. You can read more about these plans here.
We are very grateful to Heart of England Community Foundation for facilitating the funding to get this project underway.
We are thrilled to announce that we have received approval for our plans to develop the site and reveal more of the history of the buildings in the terrace.
The Weaver’s House is one of a terrace of cottages which were built in 1455, and which have been modified and added to over the centuries. They were restored by our Trust and reopened as a visitor attraction and retail/residential use in 2007.
The plans will let us create access from The Weaver’s House into the adjacent building (The Visitor Centre) to allow a one-way route for visitors. This will enable us to have visitor tours moving through the building, unlike at present where one group must exit before the next one can enter. It will also give us a new display space in The Visitor Centre to show artefacts and information that we simply don’t have room for now. We will also be adding a new dimension to our story by building up the remains of the former ‘Coventry court’ structure at the top of the garden.
Future plans and the ruins of the former Court building are examined by volunteers. Pictured: Colin Odell, Pam King, Maya and Orly Mundel and Anna Russell.
Our Chairman and Volunteers co-ordinator, Tina Woodroffe, said,
“We’re delighted that approval has been given to the planned works, which will enable us to improve the experience of our visitors. By opening up a new area to public access in the Visitor Centre, the cottage next to The Weaver’s House, we’ll be able to house exhibits to better tell the stories of the past residents of the terrace. We’ll also be able to improve the flow of visitors into the house, to allow more tours to take place.
“We’ll also be restoring the footprint of the former ‘Coventry court’ building, which previously stood behind The Weaver’s House and was used as housing in the 19th and 20th centuries, to illustrate what life would have been like for residents of those buildings.
“We’re asking the public to get in touch if they have any connection or memories of the Coventry courts to share – even if it is just scraps of information which might seem trivial as this might be a vital piece of the jigsaw!”
A concept for the ‘footprint’ structure building up from the remains of the court.Concept for the layout of the new development of the former court buildingAn old map shows the location of the former court buildings behind the terrace, The Black Swan pub building on the corner is now the building with the ‘Moira’s’ signage,Plans to tell the story of the ‘Coventry court’ buildings
The plans will be on display during Open Days throughout 2023 and photos, memories and family reminiscences would be very much welcomed to help us build an authentic picture of life in the court houses. You can contact us by email (please send to history @ theweavershouse.org, removing the spaces), post to The Weaver’s House, 121, Upper Spon Street, Spon End, Coventry, CV1 3BQ, or in person at one of the upcoming Open Days.
Tina Woodroffe of Spon End Building Preservation Trust, measures up the remains of the wallJennifer Waters of Spon End Building Preservation Trust and Matt Vaughan, architect
We were able to create the architects’ plans for the projects thanks to a donation from an anonymous funder which was facilitated by Heart of England Community Foundation.
Last weekend saw a bumper day in terms of local historical interest, and as it wasn’t one of our own Open Days, we got out and about to enjoy some of Coventry’s other heritage gems. Like The Weaver’s House, volunteers have played a huge role in these sites.
First up was the CET Building.
The former HQ of Coventry Telegraph (the E bit comes from when it had Evening in the title) this fifties building was a labyrinthine delight of glossy mid-century detailing and industrial post-apocalyptic neglect.
It’s been empty for over ten years but now there are plans to restore it as a fifties styled boutique hotel. Before that, volunteers have turned it into a temporary gallery space with the option to tour the rest of the building including the massive press in the basement.
Here are a few pictures from our explorations:
Sign in the CET reception
A detail in the lobby
Lift button
Upstairs, we got a great view of the Belgrade Theatre, another iconic 50s building.
The tour was self-guided, so we were able to go at our own pace and enjoy all the details. We looked around the upstairs offices with lots of original features.
Stunning wood panelled room with…
a secret door?
Yes! 🙂
A glimpse of the hidden garden area in the middle of the building, until recently totally overgrown.
There was a lot to see across this huge site – offices, newsroom, social spaces and even an onsite flat. Once through this area it was downstairs into the corridors of the basement where everything starts to look more industrial and a bit creepy. With workplaces looking like they had just been left it had the feel of being suddenly abandoned like the plot of so many horror movies… especially in the cavernous area of the printing press itself.
Danger Man!
Buttons, buttons…
The ‘safe light’ room
This console has a retro sci-fi feel
Part of the machinery in the basement
Once through the basement the tour leads back to the lobby and exhibition space and free coffee.
Be aware that when visiting much of the building is not currently accessible as the lifts aren’t functional and some areas can only be accessed by stairs.
There are many more photos available on the Facebook page where you can also follow the latest updates to the restoration as well as exhibition and events info. A really fascinating insight into part of Coventry’s recent history – take the opportunity to visit whilst it’s available…
Next up was the Priory Visitor Centre.
This has been closed for over a year and this was its official opening ceremony as a social enterprise. A lot of hard work has gone into reopening the building and it was time to celebrate!
Right in the heart of the city centre and directly adjacent to the other two Cathedrals, the Priory is a little oasis of calm.
As part of the reopening celebrations, special guests included Lady Godiva and the ‘Deep Fat Friar’ who can usually be found guiding people around the city wall and something we’re hoping to join another week!
It was great to see the centre open again and we were impressed with the knowledge and enthusiasm of the volunteers.
The Undercroft area which famously featured on Time Team is a truly fascinating insight into Coventry’s history and you can find out how to get to see this area as well as more about the project on the Facebook page.
From then, we went up to the re-enactment at Charterhouse – but we’ll save that for another post!
On Monday 21 March, some curious symbols and devices appeared in the Spon Street area.
One of the symbols on Spon Street.
What is this mysterious item?
A group of PhD students from the University of Warwick were engaged in laser scanning the medieval buildings of Spon Street. The team was led by Mark Webb from the Department of Archaeology, University of Leicester and Alan Chalmers, Professor of Visualisation at the International Digital Laboratory, University of Warwick.
Laser scanning outside St John’s Church on Spon Street
The white spheres are uses as anchor points to join the scans together.
Together the team will use the scans to create a virtual reality, multi-sensory model of late medieval Spon Street. We were very excited that The Weaver’s House was to be included in the project!
The team on site at The Weaver’s House.
White spheres inside The Weaver’s House.
Laser scanning the house.
It will take many weeks for all the scans to be meshed together but we have been given a preview of how the scans will start to take shape.
Laser scan of The Weaver’s House.
We’re really excited to see the project progress to its next stage and will hopefully be able to bring more news on it soon!
On Saturday 27 February, there was a one-off opportunity to see previously concealed medieval features of three houses at 31, 32 and 33 Far Gosford Street.
Similarly to our houses on Black Swan Terrace, the original characteristics had been gradually covered by developments through the ages. 32 and 33 were originally one property, a ‘hall-house.’ Number 31 was a real hidden treasure as so much of its medieval origins were completely covered, and due to this it is unlisted, unlike its neighbours.
A carefully managed programme of restoration using traditional methods has brought the houses back to beautiful life again. There was a big queue of people waiting to take a look for themselves at the open day. It was worth the wait to take a glimpse at Coventry’s hidden past revealed, and sensitively restored.
Inside the medieval ‘hall house’, originally one property, at 32 & 33 Far Gosford Street.
An arch inside the hall-house.
The rediscovered medieval house at number 31.
Brian Harrabin of Complex Development Projects, the company behind the restoration, explaining this oven in number 31 is a later addition, but has been concealed for years.
The oven/fireplace.
New beams support the originals. Although some of these details will be covered up again, original features have been left to preserve the story of the buildings.
This fireplace was added later, as you can see, it partially covers the medieval structure.
A blackened timber beam showing damage incurred during the Blitz.
The window casements are bronze due to the way the tannin in green oak reacts with other metals.
Seeing around the houses was a real privelege. It was quite magical to see the hidden details revealed. They are destined to be revived as residences and commercial properties, thus hopefully ensuring their survival for many more years to come. Although the properties are unlikely to be accessible to the public again, it looks like this glass panel on the lower level of 32/33 is intended so a little bit of their history will be visible?
Another piece of Coventry history has been revived. The carefully restored Earlsdon Drinking Fountain was officially opened in October last year after rusting away for the previous forty years.
It was originally sited on Spon Street by St John’s Church in the nineteenth century so it is highly probable that former residents of Black Swan Terrace would have drunk from it.
The fountain is located on Earlsdon Avenue South close to the War Memorial Park. The water supply may be turned off during the winter for preservation reasons, so bear this in mind if you wish to try it.
