What's on in the area

Sma' Shot Cottages

Apr - Sep 2009; Wed and Sat only (annual)

Cost: Free, donations appreciated

Hours: Wed & Sat 12pm-4pm

Paisley was a boom town during the 19th century, when scarves, shawls and ties with Paisley patterns were woven by workers who lived in cottages just like Sma' Shot. Opened in 1990, this attraction consists of two traditional workers' cottages, a one-storey cottage, the Weaver's Cottage, built and re-furnished as it was in the 1740s, the other a two-storey version, Sma' Shot Cottage, dating from the 1840s.

The cottages are authentically furnished according to the period, including the loom rooms where the weavers earnt their living. There are traditional looms on display, along with the pirin cupboard where the loom materials were stored and a special fireplace for starching the thread before it was used - one of just two surviving examples in West Scotland.

It is interesting to note that though the weaver who lived in Sma' Shot Cottage had 11 children sharing just two rooms, the family still kept the parlour, furnished with their best furniture and china, to receive visitors and host special occasions, even though it lay unused most of the time.

Many locals come for the home-baking available in the Sma' Shot tea rooms, so don't pass up a chance to have a proper Scottish afternoon tea while you are in the area.

The cottages can be viewed by guided tour only, which lasts approximately 30 minutes

Sma' Shot Cottages

• Health & Leisure
• Bodysensual
• Leisurebreaks