We would like to extend our thanks to the Congregation of Govan Old, who welcomed us into their wonderful church on Monday. As well as being home to the Govan Stones, which have huge cultural significance, and a stunning collection of stained glass windows, this is also an active place of worship which has a daily service on this ancient ecclesiastical site. There is a strong continuum of making and creativity at Govan, but also a strong continuum of worship.

With that in mind we decided to bribe the congregation with home baking, and find out their thoughts and feelings about the display of the stones in their place of worship, and what they would like from the screen that we will design for the archway which separates the majority of the Stones, from the Steven Chapel. We have a few major considerations in terms of our design brief.

It is unlikely that we could drill into the actual stonework, any fixings would have to be slim enough to sit in the mortar joints between stones blocks.

Anything we design, has to allow for the free flow of warm air which vents from an enormous heater located next to the stones.

The screen cannot have a base which intrudes into the space or creates trip hazards.

The screen must be robust enough to keep its looks and function for many years to come.

Most of the Congregation we met are pretty happy that there will be a new screen to enhance the appearance of the stones, and their concerns were more pragmatic than aesthetic – namely that nothing got in the way of the functioning of the space, and that as long as there was nothing in the content of the artwork which ran counter to the message of their Church, they would be content.

We had some specific suggestions around the theme of materials, which we can look into. We are now approaching the point where we’ve had a level of consultation which allows us to move onto the design process – exciting!

Well…. the Seniors Film Group did meet with Hamilton Purdie , the Deacon of Govan Weavers last week  - I think he would have been grilled thoroughly, as this group leave no stone unturned when they’re researching a topic! They really enjoyed his visit, and we at Weaving Truth are delighted when people give generously of their time and knowledge so that other folk in the community can maintain and spread that knowledge.

What the Govan Weavers represent, in a sense, is not so much the art and craft of weaving, or the physical realities of working in this trade, rather they are part of the continuum of social awareness, social responsibility and caring in the community, which seems to be a common thread (sorry!) when you start looking at the history of weavers in different areas.

They were not established like a professional association to set a standard of work, but to safeguard the interests of members and their families, through thick and thin, in order that  weavers and their families did not face destitution because  of injury , poor health or even the death of the breadwinner. Very soon, after its establishment, Govan Weavers admitted members from many other trades.

But what of weaving itself? Are there still any traces of weaving in and around Govan? There were many different types of textiles produced in Govan, including silk, cotton, calico and  jute, and there were also chemical and dye works, dependent on the River Clyde.

This Thursday, (7th March) the Seniors Film Group will be interviewing a local man called Mighty Kerr. Mighty was a weaver in Govan for many years – but not a textile weaver. He was a time server Wire Weaver at Christies Wire Works on Broomloan Road. Previously, in discussion with various people, we had all questioned exactly what was produced at Christies – we all thought that they extruded fine wire from thick rods of steel. They did. I imagined that they produced steel cables and hawsers for the shipbuilding industry, (they didn’t!)

The Weaving done by Mighty at Christies involved his working at a loom and producing fine wire meshes, for use in mold making in the paper industry. Although Mighty did not weave textiles, the same physical principles apply to the actual weaving and the loom. The weaving done at Christies was an industrial process, noisy and repetitious.

On Friday, the following day, the Seniors Film Group will be visiting the NTS Weaver’s Cottage at Kilbarchan, which is run by Christine MacLeod – this place is a fantastic resource, and its history is really brought to life by Christine’s deep and wide knowledge of Kilbarchan as an important weaving community, and her skills as a weaver.