Tag: Coventry heritage

Coventry Collection on show at The Weaver’s House

Our July Open Day saw an exciting new venture for us, for the first time ever we used the upper floor in the Visitor Centre for a temporary display of items, as Scott Duffin showcased his Coventry Collection. We have previously used the ground floor area, the garden and the Weaver’s House itself for various exhibitions including Spon Spun Arts & Heritage Trail, these wonderful patchworks, and art exhibits from Coventry Biennial. However this was the first time we had used the space which was previously our office, which was transformed into a mini-museum.

The display included a loan of items from shoe shop Charles Ager (pictured below) alongside Scott’s personal collection of Coventry-related objects such as bottles made in the city and unique pieces such as mouldings from Edgewick Swimming Pool.

And what a fantastic exhibition it was! Here are a few photographs.

Of special interest for us was this sign from a Coventry Court.

Not just any Coventry Court. This was the sign that belonged to the Court behind The Weaver’s House. It felt like it had used a homing instinct to make its way back!

We were also delighted that Scott was able to bring an archive collection from Charles Ager, the footwear retailer, and a Coventry business since 1840. Their shop is located about ten minutes from The Weaver’s House, on Corporation Street.

We had an extremely busy Open Day, the sun shone, and although we had some reduction in space in the garden due to our building works, we were still able to offer our homemade cakes thanks to a careful re-siting of the refreshments. We were delighted to be join by the Sketch Coventry group. You can see some of the artwork here.

A huge thank you to all involved for making this memorable day happen!

July 16, 2024
Celebrating our city’s heritage

A blazingly hot weekend for the start of Heritage Open Days in Coventry saw a surprising number of visitors heading to The Weaver’s House and surprisingly, the hot drinks were as popular as ever! One of the times when the coolness of the old buildings are particularly welcome.

Spinning demonstrations were running in the garden in the shade and some younger visitors even had a go at this very traditional craft. When you go through the process to spin your own bit of wool you realise how long it must have taken to produce cloth.

Volunteers decamped to the beautiful surroundings of Drapers’ Hall for the final day of the Heritage festival, to take part in an exhibition of local groups. It was a great opportunity to see other organisations from across the city gathered together to acknowledge all that is achieved to preserve and celebrate Coventry’s history, culture and heritage. Thanks to Coventry Society who organised it, and to Drapers’ Hall for the stunning surroundings.

Open Days are now finished for this year and will restart in the springtime. In the meantime, group tours can be booked subject to availability of volunteers. Full details are at https://theweavershouse.org/group-visits-and-talks

September 29, 2023
That was Heritage Open Days 2021
“Lovely garden,
knowledgeable volunteers,
couldn’t ask for more”

Thanks to David of Leamington Spa who left that particular comment for last weekend, and indeed, it sums up the weekend most aptly. We weren’t sure how the weekend would go, it was our first Heritage Open Days in two years. However we had a steady stream of visitors over the two days, rather quieter than in previous years but given the ongoing situation, just right. Thanks go to our volunteers who provided the same high quality experience as ever, and now, in costume!

Volunteers greet our very first visitor of the weekend. The costumes were made by our Chair and Volunteers Co-ordinator, Tina.

We were lucky with the weather, the garden looked lovely, and the spinners and weavers provided demonstrations throughout the weekend.
Heritage Open Days at The Weaver’s House, September 2021
We had some lovely comments, not only recorded in our Visitors’ Book but via social media:

“Thank you for a lovely tour. Your volunteers are wonderful and knowledgeable.”

“Really interesting to visit this morning. Thank you.”

“I can highly recommend it. A hidden gem just a short walk from the city centre.”

“I loved to hear about the story of the houses there, and my weaver son could have a go on a loom. It was worth visiting.”

That concluded our Open Days for this year. We hope to be open much more for 2022 – let’s raise a cup to that!
September 17, 2021
Heritage Open Days 2021

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.

Please check back here or with us on social media for up to date details as things may change as has been the case during recent times. For full details please see our Open Day and FAQ page here.

September 10, 2021
August and September Open Days are GO!
We’re so pleased that our first Open Day of 2021 went well, and are delighted that we are also able to open up for further days, including the fantastic Heritage Open Days in Coventry.

The Weaver’s House will next be open on Saturday 21st August 2021. This will be free to visit and will feature the ‘rub a bug’ brass rubbing type activity for children which was very popular last time we included it. There will also be some Medieval games to try.

The house will then reopen 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.

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.

Please check back here or with us on social media for up to date details as things may change as has been the case during recent times. For full details please see our Open Day and FAQ page here.
July 26, 2021
We’re Opening!
Good news for fans of Coventry’s heritage, we will be holding an Open Day in July 2021!

We are pleased that we will be opening to the public, incredibly to us, this will be for the first time since September 2019. This will be the first time we have been open since making our improvements to the garden, which began last year. With all the challenges that are still present, we have only set one day so far to test the waters. We hope to add more of course, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming people back on site to see our medieval house and garden!

Here are the essentials that you need to know if you are planning to visit us in July, followed by an FAQ section below, please read so you know what to expect from us and what we need visitors to be aware of:

When: Saturday 10 July, from 10am until 4pm

What: A free Open Day

Where: The Weaver’s House, Coventry: Garden and selected areas of the house
What will be there?

The Weaver’s House will be open for limited amounts of visitors. We will have demonstrations of the traditional craft of spinning and a display about the loom and weaving in the garden.

Visitors will be able to enter The Weaver’s House to view the two rooms on the ground floor, in small groups at a time. We will be running talks by our knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers in our Tudor garden area.

We aren’t able to run this Open Day in our usual way, but we are hoping to provide an interesting experience for visitors who join us. Our Open Days are always free, so visitors can return and see more another time.

What additional measures are in place?

Visitors enter the house wearing a mask, this can be removed in the garden area.

All visitors sign in via the Track and Trace app or a paper alternative.

Hand gel is provided in the entrance area.

We will be limiting the number of people on site at one time.

A one-way system is in place where the nature of the site allows.

Talks will take place outside.

Do I need to book in advance?

No, it is drop in, however we will be limiting numbers on site.

We will be closing at 4pm, please bear this in mind.

Entry is free but donations are appreciated.

Can I see the replica loom?

Unfortunately, it will not be possible to open the small upstairs ‘solar’ room containing the loom. It is simply too small to manage access and ventilation to accommodate visitors.

What facilities are open?

Toilets including accessible toilet will be open.

Cold drinks will be available, we are unable to provide other refreshments on this occasion. We are a short walk from the city centre.

We hope this has answered any questions that you may have about coming to visit us, but if you do have any further queries, please get in touch with us. Please use the contact form on the website or social channels if possible, it is usually quicker than using the phone number. We look forward to welcoming you.
June 25, 2021