In 2015 we developed a small area at the back of our Tudor garden in order to plant some old varieties of apple tree, which you can read about here. Nine years later and the trees are looking good and have become established enough to produce quite a few apples this year. As it’s Halloween, perhaps we might try the traditional game of apple-bobbing!
Thanks to all our volunteers who maintain our lovely garden.
“Yet more history to absorb and appreciate. The UK’s valuing of their heritage is to be admired”
“What a super little place – I’m a Coventrian and didn’t know this place was here”
Just two of the reviews from the Visitors’ Book after our first Open Day of 2024 at The Weaver’s House. After all of the rain that has fallen in recent weeks we were relieved to have a mild and dry day! The day ran smoothly thanks to our volunteer guides, gardeners and bakers. Interested in getting involved? It’s not just about giving talks or welcoming guests, we have plenty of ‘back-of-house’ roles available too. Take a look at our volunteers page for more info.
Ahead of the first Open Day the volunteers will be getting stuck into the garden after the winter. The first Gardening Day of the year is Saturday 30 March.
We are currently seeking more gardening volunteers to join in with looking after our Tudor-style garden. If you are interested, please do make contact with Tina, who leads the volunteer team, via volunteers @ theweavershouse.org * ahead of the day itself (as we need to know how many people will be on site.)
No experience and no references are required – just straightforward details and a chat beforehand. Gardening days run throughout the year but there is no expectation that volunteers will attend all of them.
*(Please note, you will need to delete the spaces from the email address to get it to work, we insert the spaces to reduce spam emails).
We are thrilled to announce that we have received approval for our plans to develop the site and reveal more of the history of the buildings in the terrace.
The Weaver’s House is one of a terrace of cottages which were built in 1455, and which have been modified and added to over the centuries. They were restored by our Trust and reopened as a visitor attraction and retail/residential use in 2007.
The plans will let us create access from The Weaver’s House into the adjacent building (The Visitor Centre) to allow a one-way route for visitors. This will enable us to have visitor tours moving through the building, unlike at present where one group must exit before the next one can enter. It will also give us a new display space in The Visitor Centre to show artefacts and information that we simply don’t have room for now. We will also be adding a new dimension to our story by building up the remains of the former ‘Coventry court’ structure at the top of the garden.
Our Chairman and Volunteers co-ordinator, Tina Woodroffe, said,
“We’re delighted that approval has been given to the planned works, which will enable us to improve the experience of our visitors. By opening up a new area to public access in the Visitor Centre, the cottage next to The Weaver’s House, we’ll be able to house exhibits to better tell the stories of the past residents of the terrace. We’ll also be able to improve the flow of visitors into the house, to allow more tours to take place.
“We’ll also be restoring the footprint of the former ‘Coventry court’ building, which previously stood behind The Weaver’s House and was used as housing in the 19th and 20th centuries, to illustrate what life would have been like for residents of those buildings.
“We’re asking the public to get in touch if they have any connection or memories of the Coventry courts to share – even if it is just scraps of information which might seem trivial as this might be a vital piece of the jigsaw!”
The plans will be on display during Open Days throughout 2023 and photos, memories and family reminiscences would be very much welcomed to help us build an authentic picture of life in the court houses. You can contact us by email (please send to history @ theweavershouse.org, removing the spaces), post to The Weaver’s House, 121, Upper Spon Street, Spon End, Coventry, CV1 3BQ, or in person at one of the upcoming Open Days.
We were able to create the architects’ plans for the projects thanks to a donation from an anonymous funder which was facilitated by Heart of England Community Foundation.
The architects are Donald Insall Associates.
Thanks to all our volunteers and visitors for giving us an Open Day to remember, a beautiful sunny day, lots of visitors – it was great to see the place buzzing with enthusiasm. We were also joined by Sketch Coventry who captured the site in a range of media. The garden was looking stunning – there’s still time to come and see it for our August and September Open Days.
The Weaver’s House held ‘Rub-a-Bug in the Garden’ as part of Wildlife Gathering, a celebration of Coventry’s parks and green spaces which happened in May 2022. This special event which ran over a weekend was aimed at encouraging younger visitors to come along and enjoy a colouring activity, whilst the flourishing garden was open for anyone to take pleasure in. Visitors could also take a look inside the house.
The Bugs Bees and Butterflies carved rubbing panels and sheets were created by Ann Phillips and Peterson Cobbett.
We had various young visitors take part, and as well as completing some rub-a-bug pages they enjoyed exploring the plants and flowers and finding out a little about the medieval era.
Here are some of their creations. Thanks to everyone who came along to the event!
Fifteen years ago today The Weaver’s House was looking rather different (although it was well on the way to restoration). Here’s some photos from then and now.
Some more photos of the garden site before we added all the beds and the wooden shelter at the top of the garden, and the view in 2022.
Below, the garden as it appears today.
If you would like to come and see the transformed site for yourself, we have regular Open Days.
At long last the first Open Day for 2022 arrived, and what a fantastic day it was. We were blessed with a sunny, clear day with which to appreciate the blossoming garden (but cool enough to enjoy the hot drinks and cake which we’ve welcomed back for 2022!).
Enthusiastic visitors arrived a steady pace throughout the day and we were delighted that this included people who had been waiting for the opportunity to visit, were finally able to be welcomed. The story of our unique piece of medieval history has been spreading, as visitors came down from Manchester specifically to visit, and another visitor was from Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Our knowledgeable guides were on hand to give free tours of the house including the full size replica loom. We were also pleased to be joined by new volunteers who signed up at our recent volunteer event. If you are interested, we’d love to hear from you.
Thanks to our visitors for some lovely feedback including:
“Brilliant speakers, great fun going upstairs!”
“Thank you to the guides for a fascinating tour”
“Superb. Excellent talk by Maureen and lovely welcome by Audrey”
“Had a lovely visit, so interesting. Met some lovely people. Kev was so informative and very kind”
The next free Open Day is Saturday 7 May from 10am until 4pm.
What’s going to be open?
The Weaver’s House and garden are planned to be open. The tearoom will be open as long as we are able to staff it, with our famous homemade cakes!
Are you doing talks?
The Weaver’s House itself will be open for small groups of visitors at a time. Talks will be given by volunteers in the house.
What do visitors need to know?
Hand gel is provided in the entrance area. Visitors may prefer to wear masks when in the indoor areas. The front door of the House will be open for ventilation (unless extreme weather prevents this).
Can I see the loom?
The solar (upstairs room containing the loom) will be open this year (but not on Heritage Open Days). Visitors are reminded that this is an enclosed upper space accessed via ladder.
Do I need to book in advance?
No, it is drop in from 10am. We will be closing at 4pm, please bear this in mind when planning your visit.
What facilities are open?
Toilets including accessible toilet will be open.
How much is it?
The Weaver’s House is free to visit on Open Days.
Anyone who has been following our updates for a while may recall that a number of years ago we featured the planting of some heritage variety apple trees at the site. This October 31st marks five years since the trees went in!
The apple trees are all English heritage varieties, at least one of which pre-dates the existence of the Weaver’s House itself:
Old Pearmain, the earliest recorded English apple, existing before 1200AD.
Wyken Pippen, which has a Coventry connection. It is thought that Lord Craven took a pip from an apple brought back from Holland or France and planted it at Wyken.
Leathercoat Russet, this apple was once widely grown and referred to by Shakespeare in Henry IV.
English Codlin, a cooking apple which as its name suggests requires only gentle ‘coddling’ to soften.
And since the original trees went in, we have added Lemon Pippin, a very old apple, thought to be English or Norman, in existence before 1685. It is an oval fruit, with lemon yellow skin and flesh often covering the stalk, giving it the same shape as a lemon. It has crisp, sweet flesh with a slight tang. It was dried as well as being cooked.
Apples trees take a few years to produce anything much of a crop, so it was exciting to see a good amount of fruit on the trees in early October. However – a mere few days later, all the apples were gone, and the single chomped fruit pictured was the only sign that there had been any at all!
Perhaps some New Year wassailing will bring everyone better fortunes in 2021.
“Gardening is a way of showing that you believe in tomorrow.” Anon