David Earle, a local rare breed owner, contacted The Weaver’s House earlier this year offering the fleece from his Shetland sheep after shearing. An offer not to be refused and several of the resident spinners have made use of them. We have also had a fleece on show at the Open Days but not everyone has fancied handling it – it is rich in lanolin which is great for your hands but some of the other products hanging about in the unwashed wool have proved less inviting! Soap and towels were available for the visitors but it may have been a “scratch and sniff experience” too far!
The complete removal of a fleece takes just a couple of minutes. Shetlands come in a variety of colours and may even be spotty under the wool.
Pre-shearing!
David has a smallholding in Lowsonford, Warwickshire, and currently has twenty sheep, chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys and a collie dog. This year his ewes have produced twelve lambs to increase his flock of Shetlands. His love of rare breed sheep was inspired many years ago by Adam Henson of Countryfile fame. He started out at the age of five with five sheep of his own.
The Shetlands are the smaller sheep
Sheep facts you may not know: animal husbandry laws state that an acre of land is required for every five sheep. Shetland sheep are smaller than most so more can be kept per acre. Sheep must be registered to breed and David is a member of the Shetland Sheep Society.
Six fleeces take up a surprising amount of room
Many thanks go to David for his generosity in donating the fleeces to The Weaver’s House.
The house will be open to the public for Heritage Open Days on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th September, 2021.
For all of these, the opening times will be 10am until 4pm. All are free entry. These are our last planned open days until 2022.
The lower part of The Weaver’s House will be open to visit in small groups, and the garden will be open, and still looking lovely at this time of the year.
Please be aware the small ‘solar’ working room which contains the loom will not be open, and we are not opening the tea room this year. Masks are recommended for the indoor areas as these are small spaces.
Whilst we have been closed, we have made some improvements in our garden area including a brick block paved area and installing some more woven fence panels.
We reused old bricks to fit in with the rest of the garden, and we also needed quite a lot of sand and gravel!
The volunteer work was led by John Homer and we are grateful for him for donating his time and expertise to the project. Although weather wasn’t the greatest we did have a few moments of sun. Throughout, our volunteers worked really hard to get the area completed and we are hoping the weather will repay us with sunshine when we are ready for Open Days!
We’re so pleased to have been able to give these old bricks a new lease of life and to have an additional area in the garden for displays.
It wasn’t all just bricks and blocks, we also spent some time tending to the garden which needed a little post-winter care, as all gardens do. It’s a wonderful place to spend some time, and always hard to believe that it is so close to the city centre.
We have regular gardening days for volunteers and welcome new recruits. It doesn’t need to be a regular commitment – if you would like to find out more about working in our garden, or you have other skills you would like to volunteer, please see our Volunteering page. Come and join the history of this amazing little house.
We are planning a volunteers garden activity day on Saturday 22nd May from 10am until 2pm. Like many of us, the garden has grown lockdown locks and is in need of a trim!
This gardening day will take place after the easing of restrictions on outdoor gatherings however there will still be a cap on the number of people permitted to meet in an outdoor space. Therefore if you would like to join in, please email Tina on volunteers (at) theweavershouse.org to register and to find out more (email address follows usual format but has been adapted on this page to reduce spam).
You don’t need prior experience, just suitable outdoor gear. The work begun at the community gardening day just before the first lockdown needs completion – it has been waiting a long time! There will be plenty of weeds to pull, garden edging to install, and hopefully there will be some planting too.
We are very hopeful that our first Open Day will take place in July, please keep an eye on social channels and website for the latest news.
A special version of Monopoly is coming to our city.
We’re excited to hear about a new version of the famous board game to mark the City of Culture year in Coventry! We’re even more excited to know that it is possible to nominate a landmark to include on the well-known format. Nominations must be sent to Winning Moves, who produce the game, via coventry@winningmoves.co.uk or The MONOPOLY: Coventry Edition game Facebook page, or post. You’ll need to be quick, as the deadline for entries is 11.59pm on April 24, full details at the bottom of this post. We would LOVE to see The Weaver’s House featured as we show a unique side of Coventry’s history:
Our little medieval house and the surrounding buildings of Black Swan Terrace were built in 1455 on Spon Street, one of the most historic streets in Coventry. The terrace of six cottages underwent many changes throughout the centuries and even survived the Blitz. Once abandoned and derelict, they were lovingly brought back to life by a dedicated team of local volunteers! The Weaver’s House building had by far the most original medieval features of the terrace with much of the medieval structure surviving and visible. The Trust was able to restore it to show off its long history, and it now looks much as it would in 1540, when a medieval weaver and his family lived here.
The Weaver’s House is unusual for a historical building of this age because it was lived in by a working class family. Many of these type of buildings are long gone. The Weaver’s House has survived through the centuries by adapting and accommodating the different trades of Coventry from cloth makers and farm workers, through to silk ribbons and watch making, to cycle making and finally, in its last incarnation, in a row of shops. It is now a Grade 2 Star listed heritage building which has regularly been open to the public since 2007, via free Open Days. We celebrated our tenth anniversary in 2017 and recreated our own version of the famous Coventry Blue colour.
Nominate us now!
People wanting to nominate landmarks and charities to feature in the game can email their suggestions to Winning Moves, who produce the game, via coventry@winningmoves.co.uk or by post to The MONOPOLY: Coventry Edition game, Winning Moves UK, 7 Praed Street, London W2 1NJ. Nominations can also be submitted via The MONOPOLY: Coventry Edition game Facebook page. The deadline for entries is 11.59pm on April 24.
We’re very much missing welcoming visitors into our little medieval house and garden. Usually this time of year we have held the first, springtime themed Open Day of the year. Looking back through the years, we have often been blessed with sunshine. We’re hoping to reopen later this year but here’s a little look back at some springtime Open Days past.
You may also be interested in our Easter crafts at home blogs:
This point in the year usually sees a flurry of activity as we get planning and preparing for the year ahead. The current lockdown and ongoing Covid 19 situation has once again paused any plans to reopen the house to the public so unfortunately, we are waiting to see what the year will bring.
When the weather improves, they will be looking to restart socially distanced gardening to ensure that Tudoresque garden does not run wild!
In the meantime, if you are looking for things to do during this winter lockdown, there are some crafts in our blog section, and we are hoping to add more soon.
Christmas elves made from corks, Tunisian crochet hats, with kumihimo braiding scarves
There’s no doubt that Christmas is going to be a little different this year. With a lockdown once again in place, we are looking to crafty ways to stay occupied and even make some Christmas presents.
Here are some of the creations by Weavers’ Workshop member, Anne-Marie, decorations and gifts, all home-made.
A pair of cheerfully coloured rugs made of recycled materials:
A bathroom rug woven on a rigid heddle loom using ribbon as a warp and old linen strips for the weft
Twined rag rug made of old linen fabric strips on a weaving frame
The ‘warp’ is the long pieces of yarn or other textile which is held in place on a loom or a frame. In the above left example, ribbon has been used.
Making the twined rag rug from old linen fabric strips on a weaving frame.
A waistcoat woven on a four shaft loom using Scottish Tweed wool.
The finished waistcoat.
Looms and frames can vary in size from small handheld frames to huge industrial looms, but the principle is the same. You don’t need a loom or a frame to weave, simple weaving sticks or backstrap are other traditional methods. Find out how we set up our large replica medieval loom here.
A round woven cushion cover done on a round pin loom
The cushion cover is made with home spun & dyed merino wool
Amish style rag rug, made from old linen strips, a weaving needle and blanket stitch. This style is also called a toothbrush rugThese festive little elves have been made from repurposed corks. Their hats are made from Tunisian crochet which blends techniques from knitting and crochet. Their scarves are kumihino, a traditional Japanese braiding craft.
Have you taken up or revived any textile crafts this year? We’d love to see your creations on our social media pages.
Huge thanks to Anne-Marie for sharing her beautiful creations.
The May Day holiday is usually a lively one for us! In the past we’ve celebrated the old tradition of ‘ales’ – fundraising events towards upkeep of the parish church. “As the name suggests, this was a day of merry-making, with food, drink, dancing and games.” * In recognition of this we’ve held Open Days which have included special guests such as The Heritage Bakehouse and Byatt’s Brewery alongside craftspeople showcasing medieval skills. And last year, we invited re-enactors Coventry Militia to join us and they certainly created a fantastically memorable day.
This year, of course we can’t open our doors, so here are a few suggestions that you could try at home to celebrate the approaching of summer:
Bringing in the May
Bring greenery and flowers in and weave them into garlands and wreaths or simply put them in a vase.
Crowning the May Queen
Create a flower crown – you could use real flowers if you have them, or there is a tutorial here using imitation flowers, or how about a simple, paper flower crown suitable for children?
Dancing around the Maypole
This might be a little tricky to manage in real life this year, but you can still enjoy weaving colourful ribbons or threads to make springtime decorations. You could try a paper plate rainbow to hang in your window or try this woven ribbon heart.
May Day Baskets
Louisa May Alcott wrote about this tradition in her children’s book Jack and Jill, written in 1880. You may have to skip the leaving surprise baskets this year, but you can still have fun making one of these treat filled cones.
Morris Dancing
This traditional folk dance has long been associated with May Day. If you’d like to have a go yourself, there is a video here for beginners!
Have fun and stay safe. We started this post with some memories of our May Day celebrations, we’d love to see some of yours. Here’s one to set the ball rolling, a sunny day from 1969, complete with maypole, folk dancing and a Jack in the Green…
While we are locked down, another way to explore Coventry is to check your bookshelf! There are lots of great books about Coventry which give intriguing insights as well as the big historical picture. Two we should mention straight off are the appropriately named Secret Coventry by David McGrory, a wonderful book which reveals many interesting facts, and Coventry: The making of a modern city 1939-73 by Jeremy Gould and Caroline Gould which considers our more recent past to appreciate and understand the post-war architecture.
Unfortunately I don’t have photos of my copies as I lent them pre-lockdown – although a big benefit to the recipient I hope!
Here are a few more excellent books about Coventry.
Coventry Hidden in Plain Sight by Clare Selley
This lovely book is a photographic journey around the city, with most photos taken in May and June 2009. There are many stunning images of architecture and landscapes, but the ‘hidden’ element is in the beautiful photos of small details which the photographer, Clare Selley, sought out.
Coventry Hidden in Plain Sight
Delicately carved details are brought into focus.
An interesting detail on a famous Coventry building, but do you recognise it?
A Thousand Years of Coventry Pubs by John Ashby, Fred Luckett & David McGrory
A Thousand Years of Coventry Pubs
Weighing in at 250 pages, and a large volume too, this is an extremely detailed pub crawl through a millennium of pubs and breweries in the city. Far more than a comprehensive list, it also documents social history and changing times. Fascinating!
Weavers and weaving feature in the names of several pubs
Black Swan, part of our terrace of cottages.
The Story of Coventry by Peter Walters
The Story of Coventry
Tracing the city’s story from Roman times until the twentieth century, this book examines Coventry’s history, good and bad, illustrated with drawings, maps and photographs. The book delves into archive records to bring rich detail to Coventry’s story, far beyond the most well-known elements. A vital read!
The book is full of captivating details such as this image of one of our neighbouring buildings, now a ruin.
The Beatles Sent to Coventry by Pete Chambers
The Beatles Sent to Coventry
A comprehensive guide to discovering Coventry’s connections with the Fab Four. This book is brought to life with lots of vibrant personal details and reminiscences, rare photos and fab facts. Although some of the city has changed substantially since The Beatles’ visits, it is still possible to track locations and connections using this brilliant book.
A collection of stories, facts and paraphernalia about the Fab Four and Coventry
A Victorian Resting Place For a Growing Industrial City, Coventry’s London Road Cemetery by Ian Woolley
A Victorian Resting Place For a Growing Industrial City
The cemetery is a prime example of the city’s history ‘hidden in plain sight’. It is easy to whisk past it on the busy London Road, with most of the grounds out of view. This enthralling book reveals the history of the cemetery itself, as well as the stories of the people memorialised there. Architecturally, botanically and socially of interest, this engaging guide points out many of the cemetery’s features from a memorial incorporating a birdbath to the purpose of the bricked-up entrance.
Joseph Paxton, the designer of the cemetery.
A handful of books on different aspects of Coventry’s history = a wealth of fascinating stories to discover. Of course, there are many more – do you have a recommendation to add?
