The Weaver's House

Tag: O’Neil 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
  • Solve a mystery for us?

    Solve a mystery for us?

    This photo shows one of the house’s twentieth century residents, Rose O’ Neil. We are wondering if the building in the background is in Coventry, and if it still exists? Any bright ideas?

    A old sepia photo showing a woman in front of a half timbered building
    Rose O’Neil

  • Seven features of The Weaver’s House

    Seven features of The Weaver’s House

     

    We’ve put together a little photographic tour highlighting some of the interesting features of The Weaver’s House.

    1. Old Meets New

    The past meets the present where these timbers join. During the restoration new oak was used to repair the medieval building, which dates from the 1450s. Over 500 years had passed between the placing of these timbers.

    Old, weathered timber intersects with new timber
    Touching the past

    2. The Back Window

    The window showing the reflection of the Tudoresque garden reflects the changes the house has been through. The window is where Joseph O’Neil, resident in the late 19th and 20th century, sat inside at his workbench looking out onto the garden. The window now has glass, which it wouldn’t have had when the house was originally built.

    the wooden bars of a window frame the garden full of plants
    Looking out into the garden.

    3. The Stairs

    These were a later addition, as in the original structure there were no extra levels at the front of the house. Changes to living arrangements brought the additional levels in later. Now the house has come full circle with the floors being removed again to create the 1540s appearance. Pause to think of all the feet that have travelled them, including a documented memory of Joseph O’Neil running up them to get his pocket watch and late wife’s rosary beads during the Blitz, the only possessions he was able to take as the rest was either damaged or looted.

    The staircase remains but the room around it is gone
    A staircase to nowhere

    4. The Timber Frame

    This photo shows the skeleton of the terrace and how it was built. You can see the original wooden structure and the addition of bricks and new roof lines.

    the end of the terracce showing the wooden timber structure of the house

    5. The Wallpaper.

    A far more modern feature. Layers from different times reflect the popular style and colours of the day. These interesting layers were left deliberately during the restoration.

    peeling layers of wallpaper - floral, plain, blues and greens

    6. The Garden

    The garden is laid out now as a Tudor working garden, to show the type of plants used for cooking, medicinal and household use.  Over the years it would have become, more of a yard, toilet area, and in built on with the ‘Coventry Court’ buildings. It was a terrible mess by the 1990s when it was rescued by SEBPT, and a lot of hard work has gone into it to restore it. It’s now a very pleasant, peaceful place to spend time, and hard to believe it is so close to the ringroad and city centre.

    7. The Families

    As well as the interesting architectural features of the house, there is the personal history connected by families that lived there and in the rest of the terrace. Add to that the people today who are relatives of those previous residents and again we are connecting past with the present in a living history. We can glimpse into these families’ lives from archive research and from relatives’ stories and photos. We have had descendants from around the world visit us, fascinated to see where their ancestors lived, and walk in their footsteps.  We have an ongoing research project to learn more about the lives of the families of Black Swan Terrace. This photo was from 2018, when we held a special open day to celebrate these families.

    photos are strung on ribbon like bunting, across the garden
    Thanks to volunteer (and herself a descendant) Clare Chamberlain for supplying the fantastic photographs.
  • That was 2019 at The Weaver’s House

    That was 2019 at The Weaver’s House

    What a busy year it has been for The Weaver’s House. This is the first year that we have had a special theme for every Open Day. Let’s take a whistle-stop tour…

    It doesn’t seem a blink of an eye since we began the open season with Signs of Spring, on a sunny April day. A few weeks later, we had an extremely memorable day as reenactor group Coventry Militia brought expertise, costumes and weaponry for an authentic historical experience and some exciting medieval action! We are hoping they will join us for a future Open Day.

    June and July delved into delicacies and dirt respectively, with Open Days on Tudor cooking and an archaeological dig. The Tudor recipes included Pease Pottage which visitors sampled on tiny trenchers (bread plates), and mostly declared that it was better than they expected! Coventry And District Archaeological Society (CADAS) ran the on-site dig for July, which unearthed finds including medieval pottery and later dated items such as glass, animal bones and pipe bowl/stem.

    August brought a day of Summer Fun in the Garden. Young visitors enjoyed making woolly snails, weaving and “rub-a-bug” a brass rubbing style activity, featuring mini-beasts.

    Before we knew it, it was September, and the annual festival of Heritage Open Days, this year celebrating its 25th anniversary. Back in the 90s it was just a single day. It runs across nearly two weeks now, and we opened for both weekends.

    This year, the first Saturday coincided with the Spon Spun Arts and Heritage Trail, with the house hosting artwork by Karen Rose Textiles, marking the connection between weaving and the nearby river Sherbourne. This work is currently displayed at the Healing Arts Gallery at University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire. During the second weekend, we celebrated the centenary of the birth of previous resident, Sid O’ Neil, with his descendants. Of course, we had cake!

    Thanks to the skills of the Weavers’ Workshop, throughout September the window of The Weaver’s House was turned gold, along with most of Earlsdon, in tribute to Ben Crowther.

    Although Open Day season ended in September, the house was open in October and November this year for Coventry Biennial. Three artworks were brought together to explore weaving as a historic and contemporary practice which is undertaken in almost every community across the globe. The exhibition closed in late November, ending our public openings for this year.

    We also had some private groups in of course, including the Design Nation project and visitors with ancestors connected to the area.

    What a busy year! We have next year’s dates in the diary and once we have finalised a few details, we’ll be listing them here very soon! We always welcome new volunteers, so if you have an interest in heritage, Coventry history, gardening or would just like to get involved, find out more here.

  • Heritage Open Days and a special occasion are the perfect close to the season

    Heritage Open Days and a special occasion are the perfect close to the season

     

     

    This year, we’ve celebrated the fact that Heritage Open Days is 25 years old! The increasing success of the festival is a great sign of a healthy interest in heritage. And for the final weekend of Heritage Open Days, we also celebrated the centenary of one of the house’s previous residents.

    Sid O’ Neil lived in The Weaver’s House itself during the early twentieth century. His descendant, Clare, is one of the current volunteers and she organised this special celebration to mark the hundredth anniversary of his birth.

    poster of old photos of Sid O' Neil and family

    We had some cakes and balloons to mark the occasion, but one thing we weren’t expecting was a rather special happening… In 1929 a ten-year-old Sid O’Neil went to school and played with neighbour Fred Golby. Ninety years later Sid’s son Terry and Fred’s son and daughter, Eric and Carol, met for the very first time at the terrace where their dads lived. Family history in real time!

    Alongside Sid’s birthday celebrations, we also had tours, tea, cake and sunshine to enjoy the garden.

    A big thank you to everyone who has come to our events and supported us this year.

     

  • Have you got a connection to our terrace of houses?

    Have you got a connection to our terrace of houses?

    Do you have a connection to The Weaver’s House or its immediate neighbours?

    The six cottages of Black Swan Terrace were built as one structure in 1455, and all, including The Weaver’s House, are managed by our trust: Spon End Building Preservation Trust.

    We have produced a number of publications about the history of the building, and are currently in the process of updating the booklet Who Lived in Black Swan Terrace?

    We’re interested to hear from anyone who has a connection to one of the cottages, whether you remember shopping, working or living here, or had a relative who did.

    We’re very lucky to have a volunteer, Clare, who is a descendant of one of the previous residents who is passionate about family history. Clare has researched the other families who lived in the terrace and we would love to bring their stories to life and fill in any gaps in time for the next edition of our family history booklet, Who Lived in Black Swan Terrace?”

    The terrace, which was rescued from demolition in the 1990s, starts at 119, and the end building, with its green tiles and ‘Moira’s Wet Fish’ painted shop sign, is a local landmark.

    If you would like to contribute information please email Clare Chamberlain on history@theweavershouse.org. To allow time to include it in the next edition, the deadline is October 18 2019, although information at any time is always very welcome.

     

     

  • There But Not There

    There But Not There

    And so, November draws to a close, a month that has been filled with reflection and remembrance, one hundred years after the Armistice of 1918.

    A banner about family history is reflected in a silhouette       A transparent silhouette placed in the house

    At The Weaver’s House, we marked the centenary with a special event of particular relevance to the house. During the First World War, the O’Neil family were residents in the house. Three of the O’Neil boys went away to war, and only one returned.

    For this special event on November 3, The Weaver’s House was awarded two There But Not There silhouettes funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. The silhouettes represent people lost to conflict. Our silhouettes were placed in the house itself, where the O’Neil boys lived one hundred years ago.

    One of our regular volunteers, Clare, is a descendant of the O’ Neils and as part of the day she presented a free family history talk including their war story. We were also pleased to welcome Coventry-based actor and playwright, Paul Nolan, another descendant of the O’Neils. Paul’s play The Window tells the WWI story of the O’Neils and has been on tour this year, you can find out more here.

    A man in military uniform stands by a transparent silhouette

    Sergeant Phil Edis of Coventry R.E.M.E. (Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers) was in attendance to represent the role of the Armed Forces in our community today, and we thank him for spending time with us and our visitors on the day.

    During the open day, we had a memory board which we invited visitors to add to, in remembrance of family members lost to war. We also had a collection of First World War artefacts brought in by volunteer Brian, and another display of objects collected by Clare.

    The Weavers’ Workshop, who meet at the house every week, had added a special and fitting touch with woven poppies which accompanied the There But Not There silhouettes.

    Thanks to all who took part in the day, whether volunteers, visitors or other contributors, and of course to the Armed Forces Covenant Trust for awarding us the grant for the silhouettes.

     

    Families of War, old photo of a male soldier of WW1 captioned Private O'Neil

     

     

  • Families of War, a special open day for remembering

    Families of War, a special open day for remembering

    Saturday 3 November
    10.30am – 1.30pm
    Families of War
    Free

    The Weaver’s House invite you to reflect on families, war and loss as, one hundred years on, we remember the Armistice of 1918.

    At the time of the First World War, the house was home to the O’Neil family. Three of the young men that lived there joined the Army and were posted to France in WW1.

    Only one of them returned.

    For this special event, The Weaver’s House have been awarded two There But Not There silhouettes funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. The silhouettes represent people who went to war and did not come back. We will be placing our silhouettes in the house itself, where the O’Neil boys lived.

    James O'Neil photo
    James O’Neil

    As part of the day we are creating a memory board. Please come and share your stories of family members who have been lost to war, bring photographs, and add relatives’ names on the board.  The house will be decorated with woven poppies created by our resident craft group, The Weavers’ Workshop. We will also be thinking of the role of the armed forces in our communities today and hope that members of the forces both past and present will join us.

    One of our volunteers, Clare, is a descendant of the O’ Neils and she will be doing a special family history talk including the war story of the family as part of the day. Tickets for the talk are free but must be booked in advance due to the restricted size of the house. These are now fully booked. Please note there will be no general access to the house during the talks (approx 11am – 12.40pm).

    Light refreshments will be available. Come along and bring a photo or a memory, or just come and remember.

    You can find out more about the silhouettes at https://www.therebutnotthere.org.uk/

     

  • Celebrating the families who lived here in a special Open Day

    Celebrating the families who lived here in a special Open Day

    We hosted a busy and enjoyable Family History Open Day on Saturday 18th August, with visitors getting the chance to find their family crests, get help and advice on researching their family trees, chat to Coventry Family History Society, and of course, explore the house and garden. Guided walks of Spon Street and special Family History talks proved to be very popular, booking up well in advance, and we hope to run these events again in the future.

    The specially themed day celebrated the lives of people who had lived in Black Swan Terrace, the group of cottages that The Weaver’s House is part of. Volunteers were delighted to welcome families of former residents of all five houses in the terrace during the day.

    A group of people of varying ages in the garden

    The Edwards family, whose ancestors George & Harriet Edwards lived in 121 Upper Spon Street.

    A man stands next to a taxi decorated with scenes of Coventry

    Actor Paul Nolan, currently performing in the 2-Tone Taxi tours, dropped by to say hello. Spot The Weaver’s House on the taxi! Paul’s ancestors lived in the house, and were the subject of his play The Window, which was performed at the Albany Theatre earlier this year.

    One family had cousins that met for the very first time in the actual house where their common ancestor had lived in the 1880s. There was also a visit from a gentleman who lived in The Weaver’s House himself in the 1940s. We will be featuring their stories in an upcoming blog, so stay tuned!

    If you have connections to The Weaver’s House and Black Swan Terrace – get in touch and add your story by emailing history@theweavershouse.org

    The Weaver’s House is next open for Heritage Open Days in September.

     

     

     

    Photos: Clare Chamberlain, Jess Clenshaw