The Weaver's House

Tag: coventry history

  • Author Talk: Sarah Thornton

    Author Talk: Sarah Thornton

    Steam, Strife, and Survival: The Coventry Weavers’ Riot of 1831

    Saturday 2nd August, at 12 noon and 2.30pm.

    Tickets are free but must be booked in advance via Eventbrite.

    We are delighted to welcome author Sarah Thornton as a special guest for our August Open Day.

    Sarah’s great great great grandfather was silk weaver, Thomas Burbury, accused of being the ringleader in the great riot of 1831. Thomas lived in Spon End about half a mile from where the riot took place, somewhere close to where The Weaver’s House stands. Sarah’s talk will delve into her family history to throw light on another chapter of Coventry’s textile history:

    It’s 1831 and times were tough for Coventry weavers. They had staunchly defended the timeworn craft of their ancestors for decades, resisting steam engines and other newfangled advances, cherishing the prized, single-hand looms upstairs in their cottages and terraces.

    But winter was approaching, ribbon prices were down, and work was scarce. Hunger and poverty gripped the throats of men and women across the city. And so, on that November day of 1831, the weavers held a meeting to decide what to do—hundreds of them gathering in Cross Cheaping.

    No one…not the weavers, nor the masters, not the magistrates nor the city aldermen …no one could have predicted the violence and destruction that was to rain down upon Coventry that day.

    What was it down in the yard off New Buildings that angered the crowd so? And who was the man with the scar, seen at the forefront of the violence? What would become of the those involved? Everyone knew the punishment for rioting was death. And why would this event spell the death knell for ribbon weaving in Coventry forever?

    Come and hear the shocking true story of the infamous Weaver’s Riot of 1831. The talk will last 45 minutes – 1 hour and there will be the opportunity for questions.

    Please note that the talk will take place in the upstairs room due to space restrictions. Tickets must be booked in advance.

    The rest of the site will be open from 10am until 4pm and refreshments are available.

    Book for 12 noon

    Book for 2.30pm

    Visit the author’s website Sarah Thornton

  • Here comes the sun!

    Here comes the sun!

    After a chilly and wet spring it was fantastic to see the garden at The Weaver’s House bathed in sunshine for the May Open Day. The old phrase “Cast ne’er a clout ’til May is out” is generally interpreted as advice to keep warm clothes on until May is over*, but winter clouts had certainly been discarded (for now) as visitors enjoyed the calm of the garden on a glorious day.

    It was a busy day with a steady stream of visitors, including a fair number of people on their second (or third!) visit.

    “Always great. Always something new”
    “Well worth the visit again”
    “Lovely walk through history. Volunteers doing a great job”

    Thanks to everyone who visited and all our volunteers. Our next Open Day is Saturday 8th June.

    *For more suggestions on the origin and use of this phrase, visit PhraseFinder.

  • Celebrating our city’s heritage

    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

  • New books to buy on our shelf!

    New books to buy on our shelf!

    The July Open Day took place on St Swithin’s Day and if the old rhyme proves true it may be a soggy summer!

    St Swithin’s Day if thou dost rain, For 40 days it will remain, St Swithin’s Day if thou be fair, For 40 days will rain na mair.

    The rain did not set in too much, so we had plenty of visitors. Should it prove to have some days more appropriate for staying inside, we have a couple of new products on the shelves.

    Hidden Histories cover

    Alongside our recent Weaver’s House family history booklet, we have Coventry-based author Mark Johnson’s Hidden Histories – Coventry Jewish Watchmakers. This carefully researched and abundantly illustrated book delves into the stories of migrant families in Victorian Coventry. A fascinating and insightful slice of Coventry’s history, very relevant to our area.

    Cover of colouring book

    There is also some stock of the Concrete Colouring Book, designed for Coventry 2021 and featuring iconic brutalist and mid-century architecture of the city such as the Brittania Hotel, Elephant Building and Belgrade Theatre. These were generously donated by Michael Mogan and money raised from their sale at the bargain price of £3 will support The Weaver’s House.

    The Weaver’s House will be open for three more Open Days this year: Saturday 12th August, and Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September. All from 10am until 4pm (we recommend last admissions at 3.30pm).

  • The Great British Dig comes to Coventry

    The Great British Dig comes to Coventry

    Last summer The Weaver’s House volunteers welcomed presenters Hugh Dennis and Christine Carr, a food historian, plus a film crew for The Great British Dig.

    Pottage (a type of thick soup) was made using a variety of ingredients including some sorrel from the garden. During the filming, Christine revealed a fact about the medieval traditions of fish eating which took place every Friday. Apparently, this included anything which lived in or on the water so extending the scope of ‘fish’ to include ducks and even otters! The programme will be shown in the springtime – so stay tuned!

    You can come and see the garden for yourself at our 2022 Open Days at the house which begin on Saturday 9 April. Our Open Days run throughout the spring and summer seasons and include Heritage Open Days in September.

  • Bricks and blocks – garden improvements

    Bricks and blocks – garden improvements

    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!

    • many bright yellow bags of sand and gravel
    • Two men spreading building sand
    • a man laying bricks over sand layer

    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!

    • hands levelling off bricks
    • an area being paved, about half done
    • completed paved area, made of old weathered bricks

    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.

    • A man gardening
    • a man digging over soil area
    • a smiling man digging the garden

    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.

  • Coventry Monopoly

    Coventry Monopoly

    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.

    Read more here (Coventry Observer)

    Gallery:

    • a large lavender plant
    • Garden at the back of the Weavers's house.
      Weaver’s Garden.
    • The Weaver's House from the street, a small medieval building
    • Quoits
    • Two women demonstate spinning wheels
      Spinners at The Weaver’s House
    • Plants in the foreground and visitors in the background
      A busy garden despite some rain.
  • Coventry’s Hidden Gems – on the bookshelf

    Coventry’s Hidden Gems – on the bookshelf

     

     


    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.

    cover Coventry Hidden in Plain Sight - Lady Godiva statue on blue background
    Coventry Hidden in Plain Sight

    A Thousand Years of Coventry Pubs by John Ashby, Fred Luckett & David McGrory

    cover of book showing a man in 1940s clothing going into a temporary pub next to a church
    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!

    The Story of Coventry by Peter Walters

    cover of book showing city scape at night, black and white
    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!

    page of text including a photo of an old building
    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

    cover picture of the young Beatles
    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 page of text A- Z Coventry-Beatles connections
    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

    cover showing title and two old photos of the cemetery gates
    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.

    a page of text titled Joseph Paxton
    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?

The Weaver's House
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