Last weekend we were fortunate to see a preview show at The Reel Store, the UK’s first permanent immersive digital art gallery. The Reel Store is located in the former home of the Coventry Evening Telegraph newspaper, which is also home to a boutique hotel.
The opening exhibition is Machine Memoirs: Space, by internationally acclaimed artist Refik Anadol. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to reimagine two million publicly available images of space taken by NASA satellites and telescopes, and the International Space Station, capturing the deepest regions of outer space.
A new interpretation of space, it is a truly immersive experience. A fantastic new venue for Coventry.
It’s looking very busy here at The Weaver’s House this June! It all starts this Saturday, 16 June, with a free Open Day starting at 11am. Pop in and discover our story which began in medieval times. Enjoy tea and cake in our garden, find out about the history of weaving and talk to our knowledgeable guides. We’re open until 4, but we recommend arriving by 3.30pm at the latest for a look round. This Saturday is also a chance to enjoy some other events that are practically on our doorstep, so make a day of it and enjoy some different aspects of Coventry’s history. This year’s Civic Day celebrates post-war architecture (taking place at the Priory Visitor Centre) it’s Open Day at Charterhouse, start of Positive Images and the absolutely last chance to see the CET Building in use as a pop-up exhibition space. Yes, that’s all this Saturday!
Further into June, we are delighted to be taking part in the annual Warwickshire Open Studios. Our regular resident crafters The Weavers’ Workshop will be offering drop in sessions as part of the Coventry Arts Trail on Monday 18, Thursday 21, Monday 25 and Thursday 28 June from 10am until midday. Try a simple make and take activity, see the members current weaving projects and have a look around the house and garden.
Pendant by Debbie
Also part of Warwickshire Open Studios, the War & Pieced Patchwork Exhibition takes place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 June 2018 from 11am until 4pm at The Weaver’s House. This is an exhibition of thought-provoking military and civilian patchwork quilts and their social history, from the Mid Victorian period to the 1980s, collected and restored by Jane and Peterson Cobbett.
Jane Cobbett at our Heritage Crafts Day
So, a busy month here, and by the time those events are done it will have also been midsummer and half way through the year! There’s still plenty more to come with our next Open Day celebrating the fun of Tudor Games and our August Open Day exploring the family history of the house and terrace.
We’re still reeling (or spinning) from the fact that the sun actually came out on Saturday after what’s been a dismal few weeks, weather-wise. We had lots of visitors, for this, our first Open Day of 2018.
We were able to get outside for displays of spinning and weaving.
Signs of life in the garden!
Lots of naturally dyed textiles on show including last year’s big project, Coventry Blue.
We had visitors of all ages, we were pleased to welcome both first-timers and familiar faces – thank you all for coming!
Thank you to everyone who visited us, we appreciate your lovely comments and are so pleased to hear you had a good time!
As we can’t get enough of weaving, afterwards we headed to the CET Pop Up to see Permutations by Theo Wright. It’s on until April 21, so still time to catch it along with much more.
Our next Open Day is our Heritage Crafts Day on Sunday 6 May.
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!
The next weekend sees a really exciting time for heritage in Coventry:
Saturday 27 May, Opening Day at the CET Building. First chance for a look around this new pop-up art space in the old newspaper building.
Saturday 27 May, Grand Reopening at Priory Visitor Centre. See the culmination of a year of hard work to reopen the centre.
Saturday 27 May, Re-enactment Day at Charterhouse. Step back to the 15th century in the setting of this beautiful medieval site.
The three above events are close enough to visit all of them on the same day!
This event is actually in June but it’s a once a year opportunity to visit Maxstoke Castle. And of course we’ll be back with our Open Day in June too!
