We are thrilled to announce our guests for an Open Day that promises to transport audiences through the rich tapestry of English music history. On Saturday June 7th we will be joined by The Sherbourne String Quartet who will feature a selection of pieces that span several centuries from the Tudor era until the present day.
Selections from the following:
• Henry VIII – “Passetyme with Gude Companye” – (1548) • English Folk Song – “Ladye Greene Sleves” (1580) • J Banister – ”Bourrées from A Sett of Ayres in Four Parts” (1691) • H Purcell – Selections from “The Fairy-Queen” 1692), incidental music written to accompany Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” & “Abdelazer Suite” (1695) • GF Handel – Selections from “Water Music Suite” (1717), pieces from the Thames pageant, “Rejouissance – Fireworks Music” (1749) and “Sarabande in D-minor” (1733) • C Wesley Jnr – “String Quartet No. 2” excerpt (1778) • Cotswold Morris Tune – “Sherborne Waltz” • J Haydn – Op 76 (1797) “Minuet and Trio” • J Sayer – “The Mysterious Rose” (2023) a new composition in waltz time.
This music will be a backdrop to your visit, with approximately 45-60 minutes of music played multiple times throughout the day. Visitors will be able to soak up the atmosphere at their leisure as they enjoy the surroundings of The Weaver’s House and garden which will be open as usual.
We look forward to sharing this musical journey with you. Our thanks to our special guests The Sherbourne String Quartet.
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?
