The Weaver's House

Tag: Miles family

  • The Families of Black Swan Terrace meet on site

    The Families of Black Swan Terrace meet on site

    Pictured at top: family members of the Golby, Miles, Gutteridge and O’Neil families, descendants of the former residents of houses 119, 120, 121 and 122.

    Following our lively May Open Day, The Weaver’s House received some special guests to celebrate the launch of our updated and much expanded book The Families of Black Swan Terrace.

    As the house closed to the public, we welcomed in a number of guests whose families who had previously lived in Black Swan Terrace; members of the Golby family, the Miles family, the Gutteridge family and the O’Neil family. Eric Golby and Dawn McCarroll (Miles family) had both previously visited the terrace and told us about their connections to house 119. Eric’s dad and grandparents had lived there, and a number of years later, Dawn’s grandad had lived in 119. Eric and Dawn, and Dawn’s sister Laura, were delighted to meet each other for the very first time.

    Several members of the O’Neil family managed to join us, all descendants of Eliza O’Neil from house 122 (The Weaver’s House itself), and covering three generations. And it was also the first time of meeting each other for some of them!

    The star guest of the day had to be Betty Ecles (nee Gutteridge) who came with her daughter Jane. Betty was actually born in house 121 in 1923, and will be turning 100 years old in July. Betty’s parents and brother had previously lived in 120, and her uncles, aunts and cousins lived in the Courts behind the terrace. Sharp as a tack, Betty was happy to share some of her memories of the terrace with the other guests.

    two young children in an old sepia photo
    Betty as a child, photographed at the Terrace

    Clare gave a short talk about the research for the book, and about how her own family history research had started, leading to the discovery of the O’Neil family at the terrace. The history of each of the families was touched on, and how they would have interacted.

    It was really quite a special moment, to have the descendants of four families of residents, all sitting together in the very building their relatives had once lived, worked, played and been a part of each others lives so many years ago, and is now another wonderful piece of the terrace’s history.

    Thanks to everyone who contributed to the booklet. It is available from The Weaver’s House on our open days for £3.50. A bargain!

  • Telling the story of the families of the past

    Telling the story of the families of the past

    Our new publication reveals more of the lives of the past residents of The Weaver’s House.

    The Families of Black Swan Terrace delves into the family histories of the house and its surrounding cottages, built in 1455. Volunteer Clare Chamberlain, who herself has a family connection to the house, undertook considerable research to build on the foundations of the previous family history booklet, Who Lived in Black Swan Terrace?

    The Families of Black Swan Terrace includes all the previous knowledge contained in the original, plus a substantial amount of new research, photographs, and reminiscences gathered from various families with links to the terrace. It has been a process of several years to bring it to print, and we will be celebrating its publication at the Open Day on 13th May, during Local and Community History Month. The house and garden will be open from 10am until 4pm. As usual, admission is free and no booking is necessary to enter the site.

    Huge thanks to Carol Hudd who researched and wrote the first booklet, to Clare Chamberlain for the additional research and writing of the new edition, and everyone who has contributed along the journey. We are very grateful for your help.

    Have you seen our plans to bring even more of the terrace’s history to life with a new exhibition space and installation in the garden area? We would love to hear from anyone with a connection to the buildings in the terrace or the court buildings behind – even scraps of information will help to build up the story!

    Please can get in touch with us via history ‘at’ theweavershouse.org (normal email format, just changed the @ to avoid spam!) or drop in at one of the upcoming Open Days.

    Class of 1931, Spon Street School
  • Family History – the Miles family

    Family History – the Miles family

    At one of the Open Days last year, a chat between one of our visitors and one of our volunteers unearthed the interesting fact that both their grandparents lived in Black Swan Terrace. Not only that but they lived in the Terrace during the same period, so they would have known each other.

    Clare Chamberlain has previously written about her O’Neil family history and so she was thrilled to discover that visitor Dawn’s grandad, Frank Miles, was also a resident. The children from both families would have most likely attended the same school, Spon Gate School, which is still there.

    Frank Miles, courtesy of Dawn McCarroll.
    Frank Miles, courtesy of Dawn McCarroll.

    Dawn recalls her grandad telling her that his bedroom was above the passageway (which is still a bedroom for a current tenant).  All eight kids slept in one bed… their combined weight caused the bed leg to go through the floor!

    In 1911 the Miles family lived in Court 31 which was located behind the terraced row that faces onto Upper Spon Street. In 1921 they moved to 120 Black Swan Terrace (currently occupied by Perfect Tresses) where they lived until 1931 when they moved to Elm Tree Avenue in Tile Hill.

    The Miles family accommodation (highlighted areas - Court 33 and no.119.
    The Miles family accommodation (highlighted areas – Court 33 and no.119.

    The Miles family were:

    Walter John Miles (born 1882, Christchurch) a bricklayer who married Ellen Gertrude Smith (born Broad Hinton, Wiltshire) in Swindon, summer 1903.

    Walter & Nell Miles courtesy of Dawn McCarroll
    Walter & Nell Miles courtesy of Dawn McCarroll

    Their children:
    Walter James Miles (born 1904, Swindon)
    Frederick George Miles (born 1906, Swindon)
    Ernest Edward Miles (born 1908, Swindon)
    Arthur Miles (born 1910, Coventry)
    Frank Miles (born 1913, Coventry)
    Eric Miles (born 1916, Coventry) died 1939 in a road traffic accident on his pushbike at the junction of Melbourne Road and Sovereign Road
    Dorothy “Doll” Irene Miles (born 1918 twin, Coventry)
    Ivy Miles (born 1918 twin, Coventry) died as an infant
    Sid Miles (born 1924, Coventry)

    We hope this information will be useful to anyone related to the family, researching their history.

    Do you have a connection to The Weaver’s House or the Black Swan Terrace area? We’d love to hear from you!