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…
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.