Tag: St John’s Church

Coventry’s Hidden Gems
During the lockdown, we are very much missing welcoming visitors to our little medieval house and sharing its history. Our visitors often describe the house as a “hidden gem”, which they are delighted to discover, sometimes having passed close by for years without realising what is inside.

We are also missing enjoying the other wonderful places to explore and enjoy in Coventry. Whilst we are in lockdown, we thought we would highlight some of these great places – celebrate memories and look forward to at some point being able to visit again.

To begin with, we’ve chosen five other places we think of as being or containing ‘hidden gems’:
1. Lanchester Interactive Archive. This fascinating space presents the legacy of engineering genius Frederick Lanchester. Delve into the archive and see blueprints, sketchbooks, notes and correspondence. You can use augmented reality steering wheels to bring it all to life and even sit in a Lanchester car! The archive is inside Frederick Lanchester Library on Gosford Street, so when it is possible to visit again, you’ll need to sign it at their reception desk first, you can find full details here. In the meantime, there is plenty to look at online.
  One of the interactive ‘steering wheels’, held over a photograph, brings details to life.
2. Quarry Gardens, Russell’s Garden Centre. There’s already lots to enjoy on site including a truly great cafe, light railway, and the garden centre itself, but it is easy to miss the entrance to the Quarry Gardens, a beautiful landscaped area, river walk and maze. A true secret garden, at the moment you can visit it virtually with this walkthrough video:
3. ‘Doom’ Painting, Holy Trinity Church. A building with an impressive history, dating back to the twelfth century, if you have never had the chance to visit, it’s definitely one for the must-do list. The guides are friendly and extremely knowledgeable, there is a children’s trail and lots of interesting details, including the astonishing ‘Coventry Doom‘ which was painted before The Weaver’s House was built! The years had taken their toll on the painting, but it was spectacularly restored in 2004. Whilst the church is closed, you can take a 360 tour here.
  Each year the church holds a Christmas Tree Festival.
4. St John’s Church, Spon Street. We’ve looked in detail before at some of the many intriguing features of this historic church. It repays a return visit as you are certain to notice something new each time, and be certain to ask one of the guides to point out some of the details such as a window that looks onto a blank wall and a door covered with ‘Green Men’. Definitely one to visit after the lockdown, as hidden away from view is a newer built area which houses the tearoom, open on selected days. It’s easy to forget that you are right in the heart of the city centre, when this is the view:
5. Sculpture Trail, University of Warwick campus. More ‘hidden in plain sight’ this one, as the sculptures are dotted all around the campus landscape. Whether you wander randomly or pick up a trail map to follow and find out more about each artwork, there is plenty to explore when the campus reopens to visitors. You can find out more about the sculptures here.
  Days of Judgement, Cat 1.
  
  So, there’s our first batch of hidden gems! We would love to hear about your hidden gems for when we can go exploring again. Please share your ideas with us.
April 14, 2020
Heritage Open Days 2018!

It’s time to bust out the bunting, blow up the balloons and throw open the doors for the free festival of heritage which starts this week! This year, we are open for two weekends of Heritage Open Days.

For Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 September, join us for tours, home made cake and spinning demonstrations.

The following weekend, Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 September, we will have tours, and guests The Heritage Pantry providing refreshments.

On each day, we are open from 10 – 4pm, and it’s free entry.
Please note that there is no entry to the solar (upstairs room containing the loom) on Heritage Open Days.

Heritage Open Days stickers, balloons and bunting.

Coventry has a fantastic range of places opening for Heritage Open Days (not just buildings, but boats, gardens and even a taxi!). You can find out what’s on when in Coventry for Heritage Open Days 2018 here.

As well as being close to other buildings on the historic Spon Street such as the Coventry Watch Museum and St John’s Church, we are also close to The Albany Theatre , Broomfield Tavern and Holyhead Studios, as well as all the city centre venues of course!

We are also pleased to be part of this year’s Spon Spun Arts Trail on Saturday 15 September, and on Saturday 8 you can also enjoy some Spon Spun events in the Oasis Cafe opposite us.

Better get planning – there’s a LOT to see!

September 4, 2018
Family History of The Weaver’s House

Come and find out about some of the families who lived here.

The house dates back to medieval times and has been restored to its 1540 appearance. You can experience the house as weaver John Croke and his family would have seen it and find out about their lifestyle by joining a tour or talking to our volunteers on any of our Open Days. But the house, and the terrace it is part of, has been home to many families over the centuries.

Our Family History themed day will include some special talks, a guest stall from Coventry Family History Society, and the opportunity to research connections that you or your family may have with the house or terrace. This Open Day will be celebrating the families who lived in the terrace, and if you or your relatives lived in one of the houses or courts then we would love to hear from you! If you would like to get in touch in advance please contact history@theweavershouse.org

As well as the usual refreshments, weaving and spinning, and tours of the house* during the day, we will also have a special Family History talk and a reprise of last year’s popular Spon Street walk. These two events are free, but booking is required (details are below)

The house will be open from 11am until 4pm, entry is free. Refreshments are available.

Special events (free, but booking required, all 18 August):

10am. A guided walk along Medieval Spon Street with architectural historian Nat Alcock. FULLY BOOKED.

11.30am. Family History Talk with Clare Chamberlain. This takes place in the house.FULLY BOOKED.

1pm. A guided walk along Medieval Spon Street with architectural historian Nat Alcock. FULLY BOOKED.

3pm. Family History Talk with Clare Chamberlain. This takes place in the house. FULLY BOOKED.

All events are now full. For last minute returns please check here.

*Please note that as the Family History Talk takes place in the house, there will be no access to the Weaver’s House itself from 11.20am – 12 and 2.50pm – 3.30pm approximately. The rest of the site including garden, tea room, guest stall and visitors centre will still be open during these sessions.

July 26, 2018
The all new Coventry Blue

We had a fantastic Heritage Open Days weekend with lots of visitors. People were not put off by the rain and enjoyed visiting us and our neighbours including St John’s Church, Coventry Watch Museum, CET Building and Priory Visitor Centre. So much heritage to enjoy and that’s just those within a short walk — there were over 50 places to visit in Coventry during the festival.

HODs saw our final Open Days this year. If you’ve been along to one of our Open Days at The Weaver’s House, or have been following us online, you will have spotted our 10 year anniversary weaving project, to create a new version of the famous ‘Coventry Blue’ woven cloth.

Throughout this year, visitors to The Weaver’s House have contributed to this hands-on weaving project, run by the Weavers’ Workshop. Finally, during Heritage Open Days, the cloth that was woven by so many people during this year was cut from the loom.

As the cloth unfurled, it was the very first opportunity for anybody to see how it turned out!

Scissors ready!

Prepping the cloth

Here it comes…

It was cut free of the loom by Margaret, one of the lead weavers on the project who revealed the completed cloth to be approximately five metres in length.

Action… and – cut!

Visitors help to unfurl the woven cloth

Coventry Blue then took second prize on the Spon Spun Art Trail, even though it wasn’t on the official voting list! It is currently displayed as part of the City Arcadia exhibition until 30 September. The opening times are Tuesday – Friday 12 – 4pm and Saturday 10am – 1pm.

You can see a bit more about the Art Trail here, and also on the Weavers’ Workshop blog.

September 22, 2017
Dusters out! It’s Spring Cleaning time.
On Saturday 25 March it is time to ‘wake up’ The Weaver’s House with a post-winter clean all ready for the Open Day season. If you have an hour or so free time and would like to lend a hand, please email us on volunteers@theweavershouse.org in advance to register your interest.

The house will then be open to the public from 11am – 4pm on a reduced basis – so you are welcome to drop by and have a look around but no refreshments or formal tours will be available.

Volunteers will be on hand to help with any questions, so it’s a great opportunity to just pop in – why not combine it with a visit to the Coventry Watch Museum or St John’s Church, only a few minutes walk from The Weaver’s House.

If you’re not around that day but would like to get involved, we’re currently looking for volunteers to help with:
- Giving tours of the property on Open Days or for private groups
- Gardening
- Making tea and coffee for visitors on Open Days
- Site maintenance
Opportunities are flexible – so if you would like to help out occasionally or regularly do email volunteers@theweavershouse.org or call 024 7625 7117. As the house is staffed by volunteers, you may need to leave a message but calls will be returned.
February 13, 2017
News: Weavers’ work recognised by a Lady and a Queen.

The Weavers’ Workshop recently received thanks from both an eleventh century noblewoman and a twenty-first century queen.

Lady Godiva, embodied by Pru Poretta, presented the Weavers with a Certificate of Appreciation for their contribution to the tapestry depicting Coventry’s history. The presentation ceremony for all the contributors to the tapestry was held at St Osburgs Hall.

The tapestry – all of it – is currently on display at St John’s Church on Spon Street. It is best to check ahead before making a special visit as it will have to be moved before the church is decorated for Christmas as it is where they display the Nativity scene.

The tapestry was too big to fit into the photo.

The Weavers also received a card from Buckingham Palace thanking them for the card they created for HRH Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday.

To find out more about the Weaver’s Workshop visit their website here.

November 14, 2016
News: Our next Open Day and more local heritage

Our next Open Day is on Saturday 13 August at the usual time of 11am – 4pm. This is the final one before our big Open Weekend for Heritage Open Days in September.

Heritage Open Days are always massively popular and very well attended. So if you prefer to view the house on a quieter day, August is the last chance until next spring… Or perhaps you are out to bag as many heritage properties as possible over the big September weekend, then August is a great opportunity to cross the Weaver’s House off your list in advance!

There will be lots of great venues open for Heritage Open Days, but did you know some of the venues are also open in August – so you can make your own heritage trail itinerary and catch some of them before the September rush! St John’s Church and the Watch Museum are within walking distance of us and of course you can fuel up on our delicious homemade cakes.

Also open this August:

Electric Railway Museum are open the same Saturday as us, as there is only a short drive between the two venues why not do both?

The Charterhouse are running Taster Archery Sessions and Heritage Textile Workshops on selected dates in August, please visit their site for more details about this venue.

Check out our page about other local historical sites for more ideas and don’t forget there are some great summer exhibitions at The Herbert and Coventry Transport Museum.

#thisiscoventry – Enjoy it!

July 21, 2016
News: Very special visitors came to our Open Day

There were some special visitors to the June Open Day at The Weaver’s House. Maggie and Brian Morris surprised our volunteers by producing a photo of Maggie standing in the garden of The Weaver’s House on her wedding day in 1962.

Maggie Morris on her wedding day in 1962

Maggie lived in what was then 34 Court 3^rd House, just behind The Weaver’s House, with her parents Wesley and Joy Collins. She lived there from 1958 until 1962 when she married Brian in the October. They were married in St John’s Church on Spon Street. The wedding dress Maggie is wearing in the photo was white and turquoise with the stunning full petticoat shape that was so fashionable.

Maggie Morris holding her wedding photo. By Clare Chamberlain

In the original photo Maggie is standing with her father Wesley. 54 years later she stood on the same spot with Brian while volunteer Clare Chamberlain took their photo. Clare herself is descended from residents of the Weaver’s House who lived there in the early twentieth century. Truly a piece of family history!

June 29, 2016
Laser beams meet timber beams

On Monday 21 March, some curious symbols and devices appeared in the Spon Street area.

One of the symbols on Spon Street.

What is this mysterious item?

A group of PhD students from the University of Warwick were engaged in laser scanning the medieval buildings of Spon Street. The team was led by Mark Webb from the Department of Archaeology, University of Leicester and Alan Chalmers, Professor of Visualisation at the International Digital Laboratory, University of Warwick.

Laser scanning outside St John’s Church on Spon Street

The white spheres are uses as anchor points to join the scans together.

Together the team will use the scans to create a virtual reality, multi-sensory model of late medieval Spon Street. We were very excited that The Weaver’s House was to be included in the project!

The team on site at The Weaver’s House.

White spheres inside The Weaver’s House.

Laser scanning the house.

It will take many weeks for all the scans to be meshed together but we have been given a preview of how the scans will start to take shape.

Laser scan of The Weaver’s House.

We’re really excited to see the project progress to its next stage and will hopefully be able to bring more news on it soon!

March 23, 2016
Valentine’s Day

At the time The Weaver’s House was built, Valentine’s Day would have already gained currency as a celebration of romantic love, thanks to the works of Chaucer. The traditions of gift-giving were still a few centuries away however.

If you do fancy making a medieval treat for your sweetheart, you could try this lemon cake recipe.

Gardens like the one at The Weaver’s House would have been used to grow herbs for remedies, as well as to make dye for cloth. In medieval times women used eye drops made from the plant Belladonna, to dilate their eyes and make them look seductive. Its derivative is now used as a cardiac arrest drug. Hearts and flowers indeed…

Weaver’s Garden.

St John’s Church, which stands at the other end end of Spon Street to The Weavers’s House, is in the news this week. A relic of St Valentine will be displayed at the church during a special mass on Valentine’s Day.

February 13, 2016