Ducky introduced you to this week's topic from the recent trip away... The Weaver's Cottage at Kilbarchan. This is one of the many National Trust Scotland properties I still hadn't ticked off my membership list, and it was ideal for a showery day. I can't believe it took me this long - what a fabulous place! Definitely in my top five of NTS places visited thus far. That takes some doing, because there's a lot of 'fab' in the NTS.
Anyhoo...
A mere ten-minute drive from Lochwinnoch is this wee gem. Before checking it out, I was a tad concerned about getting The Grey safely parked in this tiny street and right on the corner... but would you believe it, a car pulled away as I came up the hill towards it, and we got stopped right at the door!!! As you can guess from the entrance, this is not a rollator-friendly venue, but it was small enough that I was happy to use just my walking stick. Look carefully at the door lintel... can you see there is an inscription?
‘BUILDED · ANNO 1723 BY ANDREW · BRYDEIN JOHN · BRYDEIN JENET · BRYDEIN’.
303 years old. It has had some alterations. The original layout was the main kitchen-living room to the right of the passageway (two windows, single level), then the drop of the hill enabling an upper and lower (basement) level, with stone stairs leading to each. The upper level has two rooms, which would have housed one, or possibly two, families; another family would have inhabited the main room. If not involved in agriculture, they would have been busy spinning, dyeing, and weaving. Kilbarchan (as a whole) became a major weaving centre, connected to nearby Paisley. It is thought that nearly 900 looms were working in the village during the peak of the industry. This cottage was still working the looms into the 1950s, when the last weaver, William Meikle, passed away and the cottage came to the NTS. There were fireplaces in each room, as well as box-beds of the old 'French' style, designed short to keep the trunk more or less upright, as this was considered the healthiest form of repose.
Note the rag rugs: lots of selvedges and rough ends from the weaving would have accrued, and they were not wasted! Check out those tiny wee shoes, too... no wonder there were often bunions and rotten toes and such. Thing is, I can remember my Granny Shiel wearing something very similar. What is more, the original farmhouse they were in up at Hawksnest was very similar to this cottage, and I found there were quite a few memories flooding in.
Downstairs is the loom room, the virtual hive of industry.
A couple of the small looms need some upkeep, but the main loom is still operational... indeed, you can see it being worked by one of the NTS attendants in
this wee video. Of the folk in that, I only recognised Suzanne. The other girl on duty when I went was Ellie, who was sheer delight. There was also a volunteer, Alistair, and they took turns providing the tour narration.
Most of the weaves taking place here were tartans, and in the back room, which was an extension added in the mid-19th century by the new owner, Wm. Christie, are housed the archives of all the patterns.
You'll note on the wall not only the Stewart plaid, but also a piece of paisley work. Although most of that was produced in Paisley itself, there were occasional orders for this distinctive design. Particularly hard to do on the traditional loom (most were produced by automated, punch card systems), so it would have been a lucrative production.
On the wall above the cabinet is a painting of a loom room at work. It has an interesting history, as do other works on the walls, and you can read about those
at this link.
Alistair was the guide who took me up into the loft room. Mr Christie had not only added that back room onto the house, but decided that there was lots of space up there begging to be used, and he had a growing family! Up the wooden hill we went... (again flashbacks, as this boxed-in semi-ladder was what the grandparents had at Hawksnest... and yes, we did sleep in box beds there!)
I loved this room... it felt so familiar. Given that it is scarcely longer than my lifetime since it was last inhabited, there was a definite sense of presence - the possibility that the owner might just turn up again very soon. It was a room in which I could very happily settle.
The teapots were interesting. A traditional wedding gift.
I really, really enjoyed my visit here! The connection to yarn craft, the familiarity of certain items and architecture, the ambience... and the offer to use their recycling and general rubbish bins! Just brilliant. Oh, I didn't have to worry; there was a more modern facility available for comfort...
