Weavers Cottage

About Weavers Cottage

	Weaver's Cottage The Cross, Kilbarchan PA10 2JG
	Weavers Cottage Website
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Step into Weaver’s Cottage and be transported back to the days when Kilbarchan was at the heart of the thriving Scottish textile industry.

This restored historic 18th-century cottage near Glasgow vividly recreates the living and working conditions of a typical handloom weaver.

See how a traditional tartan was made 200 years ago, completely by hand using original equipment in a unique setting. You can also have a go at weaving on a modern equivalent and try your hand with a spinning wheel.

There are hundreds of tiny tartan fabric samples on display, all hand-woven in the village, and you can also see examples of the world-famous Paisley pattern.

But it’s not all about weaving – the cottage has a fascinating collection of period furnishings, household objects, photographs and parish records, giving a real insight into everyday life in Scotland before the Industrial Revolution.

Visitors can try their hand at the old skills of weaving, pirn winding and spinning. Plants and herbs used to make natural dyes are grown in the attractive cottage garden.

Family Friendly

Weaver’s Cottage has plenty of activities to help children make the most of their visit.

Learn about life in the cottage by picking up one of the quiz sheets, which ask them to find and identify various objects in each of the rooms.

Steer them towards the rummage box, where they can touch to their heart’s content. There’s a variety of interesting old objects that they can smell, touch, pick up and play with, including a kettle, a shortbread mould, a washboard, carbolic soap, a Paisley shawl and a rag rug sample.

For younger children, there’s a colouring table with pictures of the patterns used by the weavers for children to colour in, and mini-weaving using bright ribbons that even the smallest fingers can try.

Everyone can have a go at rag-rug making, with help and advice on how to recycle clothing into lovely practical rugs. Staff and volunteers have made these rugs for other Trust properties including the Tenement House, Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and Moirlanich Longhouse.

Accessibility

Parking is available on the street beside the cottage.

Unfortunately, there is no access available for wheelchair users.

Access to and around the cottage is difficult, with two steps into the cottage, uneven floors, winding stairs and low ceilings.

There is an uneven sloping garden with narrow gravel paths, but this is visible from the back room.

Many handling objects are available. There are scented plants in the garden. A subtitled audio-visual programme is available.

All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact. We take every opportunity to ensure the details for Weavers Cottage are accurate, please contact us at hello[@]whatsonnetwork.co.uk if any of the above information is incorrect.

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