Kilbarchan

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Kilbarchan
Scottish Gaelic: Cill Bhearchain
Kilbarchan (Scotland)
Kilbarchan

Kilbarchan shown within Scotland
Population 3622[1]
OS grid reference NS400216
Council area Renfrewshire
Lieutenancy area Renfrewshire
Constituent country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town JOHNSTONE
Postcode district PA10
Dialling code 01505
Police Strathclyde
Fire Strathclyde
Ambulance Scottish
European Parliament Scotland
UK Parliament James Sheridan (Lab), Paisley & Renfrewshire North
Scottish Parliament Trish Godman (Lab), West Renfrewshire
West of Scotland
List of places: UKScotland

Coordinates: 55°30′05″N 4°19′54″W / 55.50141, -4.33176

Kilbarchan is a village to the west of Johnstone in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The village's name means "cell (chapel) of St. Barchan".

Kilbarchan is the home of Kilbarchan Amateur Athletics Club, and contains a Primary school, a Girl Guiding Centre, separate Scout Halls, and three churches, Kilbarchan West and Kilbarchan East. The main annual event is the celebration of Lilias Day, on the first Saturday of June. Its biggest employer is Smith & McLaurin Ltd,based at the Cartside Mill. The company is a leading manufacturer and global supplier of self-adhesive labels, tickets and tags, specialty communication media and thermal VIP products. There are two village pubs, The Trust and The Glenleven. The Trust has been in establishment since 1901 and serves the Wednesday Night club on occasion. The village is now also home to a florist, Blooms 4 U, on the site of the old post office, which has moved round the corner onto Tandlehill Road.

The village was once one of many weaving villages, and at one time there were 800 handlooms in the village. The weavers were active in the Radical movement which sought parliamentary reform, and Kilbarchan played a part in the agitation of the so-called Radical War of 1820. One cottage built in 1723 has been conserved by the National Trust for Scotland with weaving still in operation, and guides demonstrate handloom weaving to visitors.

Kilbarchan was the birthplace of Mary Barbour, the Scottish political activist who led the Glasgow rent strike of 1915 and later became Glasgow's first woman councillor.

Kilbarchan railway station opened on 1 June 1905, and closed to passengers on 27 June 1966.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Renfrewshire Community Website - Kilbarchan

[edit] External links