Publication Account
Date 1985
Event ID 1016556
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1016556
This carefully conserved cottage, dating from the early 18th century but with many later additions, is the last surviving example of a typical Renfrewshire weavers' cottage. It remained in use until 1940, and was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland in 1957; they have restored the interior to what it might have looked like in the mid 19th century and have turned it into a museum of the local handloom-weaving industry.
The rectangular stone-built cottage was erected in 1723 for John and Janet Bryden, who are commemorated in the inscription on the lintel over the front door. In the attic, preserved under a later roof structure, there are fragments of the original roof; it was of cruck construction and a layer of the turf thatch is still in position. The principal accommodation was on two floors; a weaving shop below with direct access to the street and garden, and the main living quarters on the upper floor which, because of the sloping nature of the site, could be entered from street level. Further sleeping space was provided by an attic which, over a period of time, was expanded to form a sizeable room.
The cottage has been refurnished with contemporary pieces, and some of the original fittings, pal1icularly the box beds, have been restored. In the lower floor a handloom from a nearby cottage has been installed and weaving demonstrations are given on it. The garden retains some of its original features including a set of bee boles built into the wall which still contain straw skeps or hives.
The cottage-based handloom-weaving industry flourished in Kilbarchan from the late 17th century through to the 1880s when it was overtaken by lower looms, but it continued producing specialist goods into the middle of the present century. Unlike the factory-based industry in nearby Paisley famous for its shawls), the Kilbarchan cottage weavers produced a wide range of cloths and fmished goods, and they were able to adapt their production to changes in fashion.
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: The Clyde Estuary and Central Region’, (1985).
