Kilbarchan Steeple

Kilbarchan Steeple is a stone tower standing in the centre of Kilbarchan, a village in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It rises above Steeple Square and has served for generations as the landmark that tells visitors they have reached the heart of the village.

What is Kilbarchan Steeple?

The steeple is a tower attached to a larger building in the middle of the village. Its story begins around 1751, when local people put forward a plan to build a small parish school. The structure took the form of a tower in 1755, and the mason usually credited with the work is David Kerr, a craftsman from the area. In 1782 the original school was pulled down at the insistence of the presbytery of Paisley, and the building was enlarged to create the main block that stands beside the tower today. The result is a compact civic building: a tower for the skyline and a hall-like block for the community.

Who is the figure in the niche?

Set into the front of the building is an arched niche holding a statue of Habbie Simpson, who lived from about 1550 to 1620. Simpson was the village piper, and he became famous well beyond Kilbarchan thanks to a humorous Scots poem written in his memory, Robert Sempill's "The Life and Death of the Piper of Kilbarchan", often called the Lament for Habbie Simpson. The poem gave its verse form a lasting name and made the piper a figure of Scottish literary tradition.

The first statue was carved from wood in 1822 by Archibald Robertson of Greenock. The figure you see today is a bronze replacement made to stand up to the weather. Kilbarchan locals are still affectionately nicknamed "Habbies", a reminder of how strongly the piper is tied to the village's identity.

What can you see nearby?

The steeple makes an easy starting point for a short walk around the village. A few steps away at the Cross is the Weaver's Cottage, built in 1723. It was handed to the National Trust for Scotland in 1954 by the last handloom weaver to live in it. Kilbarchan was once a centre of handloom weaving, and the cottage keeps that trade in view with period furnishings and demonstrations of weaving on a handloom. Seeing the steeple and the cottage together gives a good picture of village life in the eighteenth century.

Tips for visiting

• Where: Steeple Square, in the centre of Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire.
• Time needed: the steeple itself takes a few minutes; add time for the Weaver's Cottage and a stroll through the village.
• Photography: the niche with the piper statue is the best detail to photograph, and the tower looks good from the square.
• Combine with: the Weaver's Cottage, which is run by the National Trust for Scotland. Check opening times before you go, as they vary by season.

Frequently asked questions

When was Kilbarchan Steeple built? The tower dates from 1755, and the main block beside it was enlarged in 1782.

Who is the statue on the steeple? It depicts Habbie Simpson, the village piper of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, made famous by a Scots poem written in his memory.

Is the statue original? No. The first one was a wooden carving made in 1822. The present statue is bronze.

Is there anything else to see in Kilbarchan? Yes. The Weaver's Cottage from 1723, owned by the National Trust for Scotland, shows the handloom weaving that shaped the village.

Where is Kilbarchan? In Renfrewshire, in the west of Scotland, a short distance from Paisley and the Glasgow area.