Alder’s Weaving Shed
Original Building
London Township
Middlesex County
Circa 1857
Thomas Alder, maternal grandfather to the Village’s first curator Wilfrid Jury, immigrated to Canada from England in 1857 and purchased land just north of Melrose in the former London Township. In addition to his meager baggage, Thomas brought with him a steel loom harness. Although he planned to establish himself as a farmer, he knew that the long, cold winters provided little opportunity for farming income. He had apprenticed as a weaver in Gloucestershire before emigrating to Canada and planned to supplement his income during the winter months with the weaving of rugs, horse blankets and cloth.
Thomas Alder built a weaving shed, even before constructing a house, with logs cleared from his property. Inside, a work bench along one wall served as both a workspace and a bed, while a wood stove provided heat and a place to cook. He built his barn loom directly into the structure, having made the loom’s framework and whittled bobbins and reels himself. Thomas bought one piece of furniture for his new dwelling, a wooden armchair from Ferguson’s Furniture Factory in Melrose.
Thomas Alder died in 1906, at which time his son John took over the farm and weaving shop. The last commercial project was taken off the loom just before 1939. Throughout the 1950s John did weave intermittently — in fact a partly woven rug was still on the loom when the shop was moved to the Village in 1962.
In the days when Thomas Alder was operating his small weaving shop, cash was not always available in rural villages, and homemade or homegrown products were often traded for store-bought goods. Thomas Alder accepted livestock for his wares and customers are known to have paid in geese, calves, pigs and chickens. Once, Thomas even received payment in the form of a colt. Imagine, trading a horse for a rug!
Business and Industry
By the turn of the century, small local businesses were competing against mass production and rapid industrialization in Canada.
Towns began to see a decline in their commercial importance as the City of London grew, but they continued to be an important support for rural communities. In many cases, small and rural businesses transitioned to providing repairs rather than building things in order to maintain relevance.
Industrialization also resulted in a change to the perceived value of labour. With mechanization the “worth” of someone's time and skills, and who could complete certain jobs, began to change.
Thomas Alder, his wife, and dog in front of his home, circa late 1800s. His weaving shed is adjoined to the right side of the house. London and Middlesex Heritage Museum Archives
Thomas Alder's barn loom is still used by interpreters and weavers from local guilds. The loom is built directly into the wall of the weaving shed.
Photograph of Thomas Alder. London and Middlesex Heritage Museum Archives
Black and white photo of the weavers shed from the early days of the Village. The sign in the left corner reads "Thomas Alder, Weaver, 1867."
Rag rugs, like the ones being woven here, are a common project for interpreters to complete on the barn loom.
A volunteer interpreter enjoys the cross breeze created by the open window behind the barn loom and the front door.
A Dye-Herb Garden is planted beside the Alder's Weaving Shed. Specific plants would be grown to make various colours of dye for textiles.
Various dye plants grow in the dye-herb garden. In some years, volunteer interpreters create dye baths in the spring to display in mason jars (the stands for which were made by the Village blacksmith). This jar of dye is made using onions.