Paisley
| |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Skyline of Paisley, with the Anchor Mills (centre)  Anchor Mills | |
  Paisley Location withinRenfrewshire | |
| Population | 79,369 [1] (2022) |
| OS grid reference | NS485635 |
| • Edinburgh | 49 mi (79 km)E |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PAISLEY |
| Postcode district | PA1 – PA3 |
| Dialling code | 0141 & 01505 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
| Website | paisley |
| 55°50′44″N04°25′26″W / 55.84556°N 4.42389°W /55.84556; -4.42389 | |
Paisley (/ˈpeɪzli/PAYZ-lee;Scots:Paisley;Scottish Gaelic:Pàislig[ˈpʰaːʃlɪkʲ]) is a large town situated in the westcentral Lowlands ofScotland. Located north of theGleniffer Braes and immediately west ofGlasgow, it straddles the banks of theWhite Cart Water, a tributary of theRiver Clyde. It serves as theadministrative centre for theRenfrewshirecouncil area, and is the largest town in thehistoric county of thesame name. It is often cited as "Scotland's largest town" and is thefifth largest settlement in the country, although it does not have city status.
The town became prominent in the 12th century, with the establishment ofPaisley Abbey, an important religious hub which formerly had control over other local churches. Paisley expanded significantly during theIndustrial Revolution as a result of its location beside White Cart Water, with access to the Clyde and nearby ore, mineral and agricultural resources. Factories and mills developed leading to an increase in the town's population. The town's associations with politicalradicalism were highlighted by its involvement in theRadical War of 1820, with striking weavers being instrumental in the protests.
By the late 19th century, Paisley was a global centre of theweaving industry, giving its name to thePaisley shawl and thePaisley pattern. However, industrial decline followed in the 20th century. By 1993, all of Paisley's mills had closed, although they are memorialised in the town's museums and civic history.[2] The town now functions as a regional centre for local governance and services as well as a residential commuting area within theGreater Glasgow urban region.
Formerly and variously known asPaislay,[3]Passelet,Passeleth, andPasselay[4] the burgh's name is of uncertain origin; some sources[who?] suggest a derivation either from theBrittonic wordpasgill, "pasture", or from theCumbricbasaleg, "basilica", (i.e. major church), derived from theGreek βασιλικήbasilika. Some Scottish placename books[who?] suggest "Pæssa's wood/clearing", from the Old English personal namePæssa, "clearing", andleāh, "wood". Pasilege (1182) and Paslie (1214) are recorded previous spellings of the name. The Gaelic translation isPàislig.
Some sources favour the name of the town as having its roots in theGaelic wordBaisleac, which is, like the Cumbricbasaleg, derived frombasilika.[5] As Paisley was part of the Cumbric speakingKingdom of Strathclyde, before being absorbed into the Gaelic speakingKingdom of Alba in the 11th century, and with Cumbric being considered extinct by the 12th century, it is uncertain whether the name of Paisley is of Cumbric or Gaelic origin, due to the linguistic shift that occurred around this time.[citation needed]
The Roman name for Paisley was Vanduara.[6]
Paisley has monastic origins. A chapel is said[who?] to have been established by the 6th / 7th-century Irish monk,Saint Mirin, at a site near a waterfall on the White Cart Water known as the Hammils. Though Paisley lacks contemporary documentation it may have been, along withGlasgow andGovan, a major religious centre of theKingdom of Strathclyde.[citation needed] A priory was established in 1163 from theCluniacpriory atWenlock in Shropshire, England at the behest ofWalter fitz Alan, Steward of Scotland (died 1177). In 1245 this was raised to the status of an abbey. The restoredAbbey and adjacent 'Place' (palace), constructed out of part of the medieval claustral buildings, survive as aChurch of Scotland parish church.[citation needed] One of Scotland's major religious houses,Paisley Abbey was much favoured by theBruce andStewart royal families. KingRobert III (1390–1406) was buried in the Abbey. His tomb has not survived, but that of PrincessMarjorie Bruce (1296–1316), ancestor of the Stewarts, is one ofScotland's few royal monuments to survive theReformation.[7]
Paisley coalesced underJames II's wish that the lands should become a single regality and, as a result, markets, trading and commerce began to flourish. In 1488 the town's status was raised byJames IV toBurgh of barony. Many trades sprang up and the first school was established in 1577 by the Town Council.[8]
ThePaisley witches, also known as the Bargarran witches or the Renfrewshire witches, were tried in Paisley in 1697. Seven were convicted and five were hanged and then burnt on the Gallow Green. Their remains were buried at Maxwelton Cross in the west end of the town. This was the last mass execution for witchcraft in western Europe.[9] A horse shoe was placed on top of the site to lock in the evil. A horse shoe is still visible in the middle of this busy road junction today—though not the original. The modern shoe is made of bronze and bears the inscription, "Pain Inflicted, Suffering Endured, Injustice Done".[10]
TheIndustrial Revolution, based on the textile industry, turned Paisley from a small market town to an important industrial town in the late 18th century. Initially beginning with small scale weaving (as took place at the Sma’ Shot cottages located in Shuttle Street), Paisley's location and workforce attracted English mill owners; migrants fromAyrshire and the Highlands poured into a town that offered jobs to women and children until silk fell out of fashion in 1790.[11] The mills switched to the imitation Kashmir (cashmere)shawls called "Paisley". Under the leadership ofThomas Coats (1809–1893), Paisley became the world centre for thread making. Mills and textile factories grew from the late 18th century, coming to dominate the town in the lateVictorian era. These include the Anchor and Seedhill mills, as well as the adjacent Atlantic, Pacific and Mile End mills.[12][13][14] Another example was Underwood Mill, acotton mill founded in the 1780s which was later rebuilt as a thread mill in the 1860s (it fell into disuse in the 1970s).[15] Other thread mills include Oakshaw thread works (later used byArrol-Johnston car manufacturers) and the Burnside thread works.[16][17]
By the mid-19th century weaving had become the town's principal industry. The Paisley weavers' most famous products were the shawls, which bore thePaisley Pattern made fashionable after being worn by a youngQueen Victoria. Despite being of aKashmiri design and manufactured in other parts of Europe, the teardrop-like pattern soon became known by Paisley's name across the western world.[18][19] Although the shawls dropped out of fashion in the 1870s, the Paisley pattern remains an important symbol of the town: the Paisley Museum maintains a significant collection of the original shawls in this design, and it has been used, for example, in the modern logo ofRenfrewshire Council, the local authority.[20]
According to Monique Lévi-Strauss,[21] information[22] on the history of Kashmir shawls'[23][24] weaving techniques had been described in books, but in a very unintelligible language. John Irwin[25][26] published a book named Shawls,[27] a Study in Indo-European Influences, in 1955,[28][29] in which he relates the Kashmir shawl's history and how these shawls spread on the European market during the 19th century.[30] The book showed images of shawls[31] woven in India and also fifteen images of shawls woven in United Kingdom, amongst which is one assigned to a Paisley manufacture, circa 1850. But according to Monique Lévi-Strauss, it resembles by many details a shawl designed by a French[32][33] designer named Antony Berrus, born in 1815 at Nîmes-France and died in 1883.[34] The designer studied at the drawing School of Nîmes, before settling in Paris and opening in the French capital his own successful design studio, which employed 200 designers. His textile drawings were sold to Lyon in France, in Scotland, in England, in Austria and also in Kashmir. The fact that shawl patterns drawings were made in Europe, sold there and also to India, made the research work extremely difficult, in order to give a precise location of manufacture. Therefore, in 1973, John Irwin published an update of his book, named as The Kashmir Shawl, in which he removed all the images of the shawls related to a European manufacturing.[35] Monique Lévi-Strauss clearly states that her research led her to focus on the shawls creative industries in France in the 19th century, for the reason that the shawl industries in the United Kingdom (Paisley), Austria (Vienna), Germany (Elberfeld) were inspired by France (Paris) and never the opposite. The author then invited textile specialists from these countries to conduct research on their own field. Monique Lévi-Strauss notes the large influence that Kashmir had on the French shawl creative industries, narrowly linking the French history of Kashmir shawls to the Indian ones.[34]
The high-status skilled weavers mobilised themselves in radical protests after 1790, culminating in the failedRadical War between 1816 and 1820. Through its weaving fraternity, Paisley gained notoriety as being a literate and somewhat radical town. Political intrigue, early trades unionism and reforming zeal came together to produce mass demonstrations, cavalry charges down the high street, public riots and trials for treason. Documentation from the period indicates that overthrow of the government was even contemplated by some.[36] The weavers of Paisley were certainly active in the 'Radical War'. The perceived radical nature of the inhabitants prompted the Tory Prime MinisterBenjamin Disraeli to comment "Keep your eye on Paisley". The poetRobert Tannahill lived in this setting, working as a weaver. Paisley's annual Sma' Shot Day celebrations held on the first Saturday of July[37] were initiated in 1856 to commemorate a 19th-century dispute between weavers and employers over payment for "sma' shot" – a small cotton thread which, although unseen, was necessary in holding garments together.[38]
A permanent military presence was established in the town with the completion ofPaisley Barracks in 1822.[39]
The economic crisis of 1841–43 hit Paisley hard as most of the mills shut down. Among the mill owners, 67 of 112 went bankrupt. A quarter of the population was on poor relief. The Prime Minister, SirRobert Peel decided to act. He secured additional funds for relief and sent his own representative to the town to supervise its distribution. He convinced Queen Victoria to wear Paisley products in order to popularise the products and stimulate demand.[40] Overproduction, the collapse of the shawl market and a general depression in the textile industry led to technical changes that reduced the importance of weavers. Politically the mill owners remained in control of the town.[41] However, other industrial development continued in and around Paisley outside of textiles, including the development ofironstone andoil shale extraction atInkerman. The town also had numerous other industries, examples include numerous engineering works, as well as a distillery, ironwork, dye works and tanneries.[42][43][44][45]
TheAmerican Civil War of 1861–1865cut off cotton supplies to thetextile mills of Paisley. The mills in 1861 had a stock of cotton in reserve, but by 1862 there were large-scale shortages and shutdowns. There were no alternative jobs for the workers, and local authorities refused to provide relief. Voluntary relief efforts were inadequate, and the unemployed workers refused to go to workhouses. Workers blamed not the United States, but rather the officials in London for their hardship and did not support the idea of war with the United States.[46] Many of the cotton mills either closed or were converted to thread manufacture which became the main focus of the textile industry in Paisley until the 20th century.[47]
Paisley suffered heavy losses in theFirst World War.Paisley War Memorial was designed by SirRobert Lorimer (other sources sayHarold Tarbolton[48]) in 1922 and depictsRobert the Bruce going into battle on horseback escorted by footsoldiers dressed asFirst World War infantry soldiers. It was sculpted byAlice Meredith Williams.[49]
Paisley was also the site of an incident that gave rise to a major legal precedent. In a Paisley cafe in 1928, a woman claimed to find a dead snail in a bottle of ginger beer, and became ill. She sued the manufacturer for negligence. At the time a manufacturer was considered liable only if there was a contract in place with the harmed party. AfterDonoghue v Stevenson, a precedent was established that manufacturers (and other "neighbours" or fellow citizens) owe a duty not to do foreseeable harm to others by negligence, regardless of contractual obligations, which paved the way for moderntort law. The case is often called the "Paisley snail".[50]
Owing to its industrial roots, Paisley, like many industrial towns inRenfrewshire, became a target for GermanLuftwaffe bombers duringWorld War II. Although it was not bombed as heavily as nearbyGlasgow (seeClydebank Blitz), air raids still occurred periodically during the early years of the war, killing nearly a hundred people in several separate incidents; on 6 May 1941, a parachute mine was dropped in the early hours of the morning claiming 92 victims; this is billed the worst disaster in Paisley's history.[51] TheGleniffer Braes, on the southern outskirts of Paisley, are home to a number of "decoy ponds" (mock airfields) used by the RAF after theBattle of Britain as part of a project code-named "Starfish Decoy" designed to confuse German spies.[52]
Paisley, as with other areas in Renfrewshire, was at one time famous for itsweaving andtextile industries. As a consequence, thePaisley pattern has long symbolic associations with the town. Until theJacquard loom was introduced in the 1820s, weaving was acottage industry. This innovation led to the industrialisation of the process and many larger mills were created in the town. Also as a consequence of greater mechanisation, many weavers lost their livelihoods and left for Canada and Australia. Paisley was for many years a centre for the manufacture of cotton sewingthread. At the heyday of Paisley thread manufacture in the 1930s, there were 28,000 people employed in the huge Anchor and Ferguslie mills ofJ & P Coats Ltd, said to be the largest of their kind in the world at that time.[53] In the 1950s, the mills diversified into the production of synthetic threads but production diminished rapidly as a result of less expensive imports from overseas and the establishment of mills inIndia andBrazil by J & P Coats. By the end of the 1993, there was no thread being produced in Paisley.[54]
The town also supported a number of engineering works some of which relied on the textile industry, others onshipbuilding. Paisley once had five shipyards including John Fullerton and Company (1866–1928),Bow, McLachlan and Company (1872–1932) andFleming and Ferguson (1877–1969).[55]
A number of food manufacture companies existed in Paisley. The preserve manufacturerRobertsons began in Paisley as a grocer whose wife started makingmarmalade from oranges in 1860.[56] This product was successful and a factory was opened in Storie Street, Paisley, to produce it in 1866 and additional factories were later opened in Manchester, London and Bristol.[57] The company was taken over byRank Hovis McDougall who closed its Stevenson Street factory and transferred production to England in the 1970s. Brown and Polson was formed in Paisley in 1840 and two years later started producingstarch for the weaving trades, by 1860 it was making food products including its patentcornflour.[57][58] It later became CPC Foods Ltd,[59] a subsidiary ofUnilever, which producedHellmann'smayonnaise,Gerber baby foods andKnorr soups. The company ceased production in Paisley in 2002.[60] The Piazza shopping centre was opened bySean Connery in 1970 and has since been modernised several times.[61]
In 1981Peugeot Talbot, formerlyChrysler and before thatRootes, announced that itsLinwood factory just outside Paisley would cease production. This led to the loss of almost 5,000 jobs.[62] At one timeM&Co. (Mackays) had its head office in Caledonia House in Paisley.[63] Paisley had severalcinemas in the town, all of which have since closed, including the Palladium (closed 1960s), the Regal, the La Scala Picture House (the B listed art deco 1912 facade of the cinema is now the entrance to the Paisley Centre) and the Kelburne.[64][65]
In 2015, the town launched its bid to become UK City of Culture in 2021.[66] On 15 July 2017 Paisley was announced as one of five shortlisted candidates,[67] On 7 December 2017 it lost toCoventry. Following the announcement, Renfrewshire Council and the Paisley 2021 Board stated that Paisley's "journey will continue" and that the bid process was "just the beginning" for regeneration processes in the town.[68]
Funding acquired during the City of Culture bid has led to multi-million pound regenerations for many of the town's key attractions.[69] This includes a £22million refurbishment to the Town Hall which reopened in October 2023,[70] a new £7million Central Library and Learning Hub on the High Street which opened November 2023,[71] and a £45million transformation of Paisley Museum due to be completed in late 2024.[72] Renfrewshire Council also maintains its Townscape Heritage Initiative and Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme to provide grants to property owners in Paisley and the surrounding areas to carry out historic building repair and traditional shopfront reinstatement.[73]
Paisley is the administrative centre for thecouncil area ofRenfrewshire Council, and also lies within theregistration county ofthe same name. The town is divided intoCommunity Councils for representation at the most local level.[74]
Paisley in represented in theScottish Parliament byGeorge Adam MSP, who holds thePaisley seat.[75] For theHouse of Commons of the United Kingdom the town is divided between two constituencies covering the whole of Renfrewshire:Paisley and Renfrewshire North (Alison Taylor MP) andPaisley and Renfrewshire South (Johanna Baxter MP).
Paisley lies within the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Division of the Scottishpolice service and is one of three Area Commands in that division.[76] Paisley is divided into five community policing areas: Paisley North-west (incorporating Glasgow Airport); Paisley South-west; Paisley East and Ralston; Paisley South; Gallowhill (as part of Renfrew and Gallowhill).[77] Gallowhill is covered by the Renfrew Area Command. For judicial purposes, the area forms part of thesheriffdom of North Strathclyde andpublic prosecutions are directed by theProcurator Fiscal forArgyll and Clyde.[78]
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is theNational Health Service Board serving Paisley and the town's main hospital withaccident and emergency facilities is theRoyal Alexandra Hospital.Strathclyde Fire and Rescue is the statutoryfire and rescue service covering Paisley, with one communityfire station on the town's Canal Street.[79]
Water andsewerage is provided in Paisley byScottish Water, a public body, and water and sewerage charges are collected alongsidecouncil tax byRenfrewshire Council, the local authority, on its behalf. Renfrewshire Council is also responsible for the provision ofwaste management in the area.[80] Paisley'sdistribution network operator, the organisation licensed to transmit electricity from theNational Grid to consumers, isScottish Power.[81]
Paisley sits primarily on an expanse of low ground around 12 metres (40 ft) above sea level surrounding theWhite Cart Water, which runs through the town centre. There are some hills and ridges which have been absorbed as the town has expanded.[82] The settlement is historically centred on Oakshaw, an area surrounding a hill to the north of the current High Street. Oakshaw is aconservation area, and on the high ground many of Paisley's significant buildings can be found, such as theHigh Kirk, theCoats Observatory and the former John Neilson Institution, which was once a school and is now converted into residential flats.[83]
Paisley expanded steadily, particularly in theVictorian andEdwardian eras, creating many suburbs.Castlehead is a woodedconservation area primarily made up of Victorian villas where many of the town's leading industrialists made their homes in the late 19th century.Thornly Park is another conservation area, to the south of the town, just off Neilston Road towardBarrhead. It contains a variety of architecture ranging frommock Tudor toArt Deco. Many of the houses were designed by W. D. McLennan, a contemporary ofCharles Rennie MacIntosh. McLennan also designed several local churches such as St Matthew's Church.[84]
Particularly following the Housing Act 1946, modern Paisley grew into the surrounding countryside, and several large residential areas were created in the post-war period. These include portions ofGlenburn (south),Foxbar (south west),Ferguslie Park (north west),Gallowhill (North East) and Hunterhill (South East).Gockston in the far north of the town has many terraced houses, and after regeneration has many detached and semi-detached houses as well as several blocks of flats.Dykebar, to the south east of the town centre, is a residential area which is also the site ofDykebar Hospital, a secure psychiatric hospital.[85] Local parks includeFountain Gardens andBarshaw Park.
On the outskirts of the town are a number of settlements such asRalston, a residential area in the far east bordering the city ofGlasgow. Ralston was outside the Paisley burgh boundary when constructed in the 1930s, but as a result of local authority reorganisation in the 1990s, it is now a suburb of Paisley.[citation needed]
| Climate data for Paisley,[a] elevation: 16 m or 52 ft, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.5 (56.3) | 14.4 (57.9) | 17.2 (63.0) | 24.4 (75.9) | 26.5 (79.7) | 29.6 (85.3) | 30.0 (86.0) | 31.0 (87.8) | 26.7 (80.1) | 22.8 (73.0) | 17.7 (63.9) | 14.1 (57.4) | 31.0 (87.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) | 7.8 (46.0) | 9.8 (49.6) | 13.0 (55.4) | 16.1 (61.0) | 18.4 (65.1) | 19.8 (67.6) | 19.3 (66.7) | 16.7 (62.1) | 13.0 (55.4) | 9.6 (49.3) | 7.4 (45.3) | 13.2 (55.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.1 (35.8) | 2.2 (36.0) | 3.2 (37.8) | 5.1 (41.2) | 7.4 (45.3) | 10.3 (50.5) | 12.1 (53.8) | 11.9 (53.4) | 9.9 (49.8) | 6.9 (44.4) | 4.2 (39.6) | 2.1 (35.8) | 6.5 (43.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −14.8 (5.4) | −7.5 (18.5) | −8.3 (17.1) | −4.4 (24.1) | −1.1 (30.0) | 1.5 (34.7) | 3.9 (39.0) | 2.2 (36.0) | −0.2 (31.6) | −3.5 (25.7) | −6.8 (19.8) | −14.5 (5.9) | −14.8 (5.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 146.4 (5.76) | 115.2 (4.54) | 97.4 (3.83) | 66.1 (2.60) | 68.8 (2.71) | 67.8 (2.67) | 82.9 (3.26) | 94.8 (3.73) | 98.4 (3.87) | 131.8 (5.19) | 131.8 (5.19) | 161.4 (6.35) | 1,262.8 (49.72) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 17.7 | 14.7 | 13.8 | 12.3 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 13.3 | 13.9 | 13.9 | 16.2 | 17.3 | 16.9 | 174.3 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 38.6 | 67.3 | 104.3 | 141.4 | 186.8 | 155.6 | 151.5 | 145.5 | 114.6 | 86.3 | 53.9 | 33.7 | 1,279.6 |
| Source 1: Met Office[86] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: KNMI/Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute[87] | |||||||||||||
Public sector organisations in Paisley include the headquarters ofRenfrewshire Council, the largest campus of theUniversity of the West of Scotland, the Paisley campus ofWest College Scotland and theRoyal Alexandra Hospital.
Glasgow Airport, located on the northern edge of Paisley, is also a significant employer and part of the area's transport infrastructure. The airlineLoganair's registered office is located within the airport complex.[88]
Scotch whisky blenders and bottlersChivas Brothers, now a subsidiary ofPernod Ricard, are also located in the town.
The site of the former Rootes/Chrysler/Talbot on the western outskirts of the town is now home to Phoenix Retail Park. Numerous private developers have invested, creating various retail outlets, vehicle showrooms, restaurants, a cinema complex, hotel and a business centre.
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As theadministrative centre of thecounty of Renfrewshire,Renfrew District and, currently,Renfrewshirecouncil area, Paisley is home to many significant civic buildings.Paisley Town Hall, adjacent to the Abbey, was funded by the will ofGeorge Aitken Clark,[89] one of the Clark family, owners of the Anchor Mills. In competition, Sir Peter Coats funded the construction of the modernPaisley Museum and Central Library (1871), also in a neo-Classical style. The Clarks and Coats families dominated Paisley industry until their companies merged in 1896.[18] Renfrewshire's former County Buildings, Police Station and Jail on County Square were demolished in 1821, and the County Council then met in a newer neo-classical building, completed in 1890, which now housesPaisley Sheriff Court.[90]
Renfrewshire House, the modern headquarters of Renfrewshire Council, was constructed as Paisley Civic Centre. Designed by Hutchison, Locke and Monk following a competition, the building was designed to house offices of both the county and town councils. It was intended to become a civic hub for Paisley but the absence of any shops and non-council premises prevented this from happening.[91] It became the home of the Renfrew sub-region ofStrathclyde Regional Council in 1975 and ofRenfrewshire Council in 1996. It is listed by the conservation organisationDoCoMoMo as one of thesixty key Scottish monuments of thepost-war period.
Other civic buildings of interest include theRussell Institute, anart deco building constructed in 1926.[92]
Most noticeable among the buildings of Paisley is itsmedievalAbbey in the centre of the town dating from the 12th century. The earliest surviving architecture is the south-east doorway in the nave from the cloister, which has a round arched doorway typical of Romanesque architecture which was the prevalent architectural style before the adoption of Gothic.[citation needed] The choir (east end) and tower date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are examples ofGothic Revival architecture. They were reconstructed in three main phases of restorations with the tower and choir conforming to the designs of Dr Peter MacGregor Chalmers. The roof in the nave is the most recent of restorations with the plaster ceiling by Rev Dr Boog which was added in the 1790s being replaced by a timber roof in 1981.[citation needed]
FormerThomas Coats Memorial Baptist Church, named for the industrialistThomas Coats (1809–1883), is an example ofGothic Revival architecture. It dominates the town's skyline with its crown spire more than 60 m (197 ft) high. Opened in 1894 and designed byHippolyte Jean Blanc[93] it was the largestBaptist church in Europe. The exterior is made of old red sandstone. Inside, the church is decorated with wood carvings, mosaic floors and marble fonts. The church also contains a 3040 pipe Hill Organ.
TheSt Mirin's Cathedral in Incle Street is the seat of the CatholicBishop of Paisley. The church was completed in 1931 to replace an earlier building, in nearby East Buchanan Street, which dated from 1808. The original St Mirin's church was the first Catholic church to be built in Scotland since theReformation. With the erection of theDiocese of Paisley in 1947 the church was raised to cathedral status.
St Matthew's Church (Church of the Nazarene) at the junction of Gordon Street and Johnston Street isArt Nouveau in style. Designed by local architect William Daniel McLennan, a contemporary ofCharles Rennie Mackintosh, it was built in 1905–07.
Dating from circa 1160Blackhall Manor is the oldest building in Paisley. It was given to the Burgh of Paisley by the Shaw-Stewart family in 1940, but was threatened with demolition in 1978. It was privately purchased in 1982 and fully restored as a private dwelling.
As a result of its historic textile industry, Paisley has many examples ofVictorian industrial architecture. Most notable is the Category A listed Anchor Mills, built in 1886. The building was converted in 2005 into residential flats.[94][95] Textiles have a longer history in Paisley, represented by the Sma' Shot cottages complex on Shuttle Street: a small public museum of weaving from its 18th-century origins as acottage industry.[96]
Another landmark connected with the textile industry is the Dooslan Stane or Stone. The stone was a meeting place of the Weavers Union in the south of Paisley; it was also used as a "soapbox" and was originally inscribed with its history (now largely faded). It was moved from its original site at the corner of Neilston Road and Rowan Street to its present location in Brodie Park. Also present, arranged around the Dooslan Stane, are the four original Paisley Tolbooth stones. The Dooslan Stane is still used today as the congregating point for the annual Sma' Shot parade which takes place on the first Saturday in July.[97]
TheHigh Street drill hall was completed in about 1896.[98]
The composerThomas Wilson's 1988 workPasseleth Tapestry (later his Fourth Symphony) commemorates the history of Paisley in a single 30-minute movement. Commissioned by Renfrew District Council to mark Paisley's 500th anniversary as aburgh of barony, it was premiered on 6 August 1988 in Paisley Abbey with theRoyal Scottish National Orchestra underBryden Thomson.[99] It was subsequently recorded by theRoyal Scottish National Orchestra with conductorRory Macdonald on theLinn Record Label, and received critical acclaim by theGramophone, which considered its orchestration as "beguiling", but the string glissandos as "kitsch".[100]
Paisley is connected to the motorway network and theNational Rail network, and containsGlasgow Airport within its boundaries.
Paisley is connected by road to the UK motorway network, with theM8 running along the northern edge of the town, Junctions 27, 28 and 29 providing access to Greenock to the west and Glasgow to the east. This forms part of the unsignedE05Euroroute from Greenock toGibraltar. Many major A roads converge through the town, including theA726,A737 andA761. TheStrathclyde Partnership for Transport, apublic body, has direct operational responsibilities covering the area, such as supporting (and in some cases running) local bus services in Paisley (Graham's Bus Service) and acrossStrathclyde.[101]
The town has four railway stations and is linked by rail toGlasgow city centre as well asInverclyde and theAyrshire coast.Paisley Gilmour Street is the largest of the stations and is also the fourth busiest train station in Scotland.[102] There are also smaller stations atPaisley St James,Paisley Canal andHawkhead. The rail links also connect toGlasgow Prestwick International Airport and ferry routes toDunoon, theIsle of Arran,Isle of Bute andNorthern Ireland. Over the years there have beenthirteen railway stations in Paisley and three rail lines that are now closed (ThePaisley and Barrhead District Railway,[103] theBarrhead Branch[103] of theGSWR, and thePaisley and Renfrew Railway).[104] Paisley Canal station and thePaisley Canal Line owe their names to theGlasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal which occupied the route of the line until 1885, when it was filled in. The line reusues part of the Paisley Canal, which was the site of thePaisley canal disaster in 1810.
Glasgow Airport, operated byAGS Airports, is Scotland's largest airport, located to the north of Paisley atAbbotsinch. It is adjacent to the M8 motorway and served by buses from Paisley Gilmour Street railway station. The plannedGlasgow Airport Rail Link project, which was to run through Paisley, was abandoned in 2009. As mentioned above,Glasgow Prestwick Airport inAyrshire is directly accessible by rail from Paisley Gilmour Street station.
Paisley is the main site for themodernUniversity of the West of Scotland, which was created from a merger between theUniversity of Paisley andBell College inHamilton, South Lanarkshire. The University of Paisley was granted university status in 1992, having existed previously as acentral institution known as Paisley College of Technology. Thefurther education collegeWest College Scotland has a campus in the town; this institution was previously known asReid Kerr College.
There are currently fourcomprehensivestate secondary schools in Paisley:Paisley Grammar School,Castlehead High School,St Andrew's Academy, Paisley andGleniffer High School. The oldest of these is Paisley Grammar which was founded in 1576 and was one of two formergrammar schools in the town – alongside the former John Neilson Institution (latterly John Neilson High School) founded in 1852. Other former secondary schools in the area include Merksworth High School (to the north west of the town),St Mirin's Academy or High School (on the west side of the town), St Aelred's High School and Stanely Green High School (both on the south side of the town). Of the current secondary schools in the town, all arenon-denominational save for St Andrew's Academy which is a Roman Catholic school.
| Religion | 2011[105] | 2021[106] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | |
| Christian | 43,359 | 56.4 | 33,747 | 42.5 |
| –Church of Scotland | 21,992 | 28.5 | 14,068 | 17.7 |
| –Catholic | 18,356 | 23.9 | 16,138 | 20.3 |
| –Other Christian | 3,011 | 3.9 | 3,541 | 4.5 |
| Muslim | 653 | 0.8 | 1,404 | 1.8 |
| Jewish | 37 | <0.1 | 40 | 0.1 |
| Hindu | 133 | 0.2 | 295 | 0.4 |
| Sikh | 245 | 0.3 | 281 | 0.4 |
| Buddhism | 104 | 0.1 | 138 | 0.2 |
| Pagan | — | — | 262 | 0.3 |
| Other religion | 204 | 0.3 | 189 | 0.2 |
| No religion | 26,719 | 34.8 | 38,333 | 48.3 |
| Religion not stated | 5,378 | 7.0 | 4,674 | 5.9 |
| Total | 76,834 | 100.00% | 79,369 | 100.00% |
Paisley is home to a number of religious denominations and is an important historical centre for the Christian faith in Scotland. The town's historicpatron saint isSaint Mirin (or Mirren); according to legendary accounts, Mirin settled in Paisley as a missionary sent from Ireland in the 6th century and was instrumental in bringing the relics ofSt Andrew to Scotland.[107]Paisley Abbey, one of the town's most significant landmarks, was constructed as a priory in the 12th century and raised toabbey status in the 13th. It served as an ecclesiastical centre for a wide area surrounding the county ofRenfrewshire for centuries until theReformation when such religious centres were reduced to the status ofparish churches. For theChurch of Scotland, Paisley forms part of thePresbytery of Clyde. (see:Church of Scotland synods and presbyteries).
Other Christian communities have a number of churches in Paisley, many of which were the result of theIndustrial Revolution where people from around theBritish Isles came to Paisley for work.[108] The Roman CatholicDiocese of Paisley, created in 1947, is centred upon the town'sSt Mirin's Cathedral, the seat of theBishop of Paisley. Paisley also forms part of theEpiscopalian (Anglican)Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway with its main facilities being contained at the Holy Trinity and St Barnabas Church in the town centre, a congregation which united in 2004.[109] There are currently two Baptist congregations in Paisley: in addition to Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist Church (see under "Landmarks – religious sites") is Central Baptist Church, which meets in nearby Lady Lane. Paisley is home to ameetinghouse ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located on Glenburn Road.
Other smaller religious groups exist in the town. TheMethodist Church of Great Britain has a church and central hall opposite Paisley Abbey which forms part of the Ayrshire and RenfrewshireCircuit.[110] TheChristadelphians meet in a hall on Alice Street.[111]
Paisley has one local daily newspaper, thePaisley Daily Express, which is owned by theTrinity Mirror Group. Various local radio stations have operated at times, includingQ96 from 1992 to 2007 – serving theRenfrewshire area, although for a considerable period based in neighbouring Glasgow. Its replacement, Glasgow-basedGuardian Media Group station96.3 Rock Radio carries Renfrewshire focused material. In October 2011 Rock Radio, faced with falling advertising revenue, was rebranded by Guardian Media Group as Real Radio XS after a proposed management buyout failed to materialise.[112]Paisley has two local radio stations, Paisleyradio.com broadcasts from the centre of Paisley with a large online audience. Paisleyradio.com won the Prestige Scotland Radio Station of the Year award 3 times 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24.[citation needed] In 2023, paisleyradio.com officially became the most successful radio station from Paisley with 8 media awards.[citation needed] Paisley FM broadcasts from the Grammar School, it covers Paisley, Renfrew and Johnstone.
St Mirren F.C. is Paisley's sole professional association football team. As of 2018, it plays in theScottish Premiership.[113] In 2009, the team moved from theirLove Street stadium to a new 8,029 capacity stadium, known formally asSt Mirren Park, on Greenhill Road. The stadium was later renamed as The Paisley 2021 Stadium to mark the town's bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021.[114] St Mirren last won theScottish Cup on 16 May 1987.[115] The club won theScottish League Cup for the first time in its history on 17 March 2013.[116] Another professional football team,Abercorn F.C., was based in Paisley until its decline and liquidation in 1920.[117]
St Mirren Basketball Club was formed in 1997: they have won the National League title once, in 2000, and have won the Scottish Cup three times (1999, 2002 and 2012).[118][119]
Paisley RFC is an amateur rugby union club based at the Anchor Recreation Grounds in Paisley.[120]
Kelburne Hockey Club is a local club which was founded in 1969.[121]
Historically, Paisley was notable as the religious home of theStewart family who descended fromWalter FitzAlan, the firstHigh Steward of Scotland and founder of Paisley Abbey, eventually becoming theScottish andBritishRoyal Family. The Stewarts once resided at a castle in nearbyRenfrew. All six of the High Stewards are buried in the Abbey, as isMarjorie Bruce – the eldest daughter ofRobert I of Scotland (Robert the Bruce) – who married the6th High Steward, thus founding the Stewart dynasty. The first Stewart King of Scotland and son of Marjorie Bruce and Walter Stewart,Robert II, is believed to have been born in the Abbey. His sonRobert III is buried there.[108]
Ronald Reagan's maternal great-great-grandparents, Claude Wilson and Margaret Downey, were married at Paisley High Church on 23 May 1807.[122]
Other notable people associated with Paisley include:
Paisley istwinned with:
One of these (Roman) encampments was on Oakshawhill, which is the very heart of modern Paisley
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Acting exclusively for this newspaper, then known as the Glasgow Herald, Hugh Peskett, director of research at Burke's Peerage, discovered the late president's maternal great-great-grandparents, Claude Wilson and Margaret Downey, had been married at Paisley High Church on May 23, 1807.
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