"Kilbarchan Steeple"

I went for my swim (not sure that was a good idea. enjoyed it but now can't stop sniffing) and on the way home I went via Kilbarchan. The sun was shining and the sky was blue but it was extremely windy and cold. So today's Blip is again from Kilbarchan the weavers village.
In the year 1755 Kilbarchan Steeple, and part of the present buildings were erected and a further addition was made in the year 1782. These buildings exist in their original external form today and now houses upper and lower village halls. It once served at various times as a Ladies Rest, a Library, a Meal Storehouse, a Schoolroom and a garage for the village horse-drawn fire engine.
The Fire Engine bought in London in 1765 and driven up to Kilbarchan and today can be seen in the Transport Museum in Glasgow.
The Steeple hall has been owned by several people over the years and is currently the property of Renfrewshire Council since 1929. The Steeple had a bell from which rang three times a day but now it only sounds on a Sunday to call the worshipers to the Church.
On the North face below the clock is a niche containing a statue of Habbie Simpson, piper of Kilbarchan, who lived from 1550 to 1620. During this period he kept the streets alive with his piping. On the door the inscription reads "not on his right" due to the fact he was left handed and his pipes were on his left shoulder.
The original statue was carved in wood by Archibald Robertson of Greenock in 1822, but fell into disrepair and subsequently was replaced in 1932 by a bronze statue, the cost paid for by public subscription.