Paisley
Encyclopedia
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county
of Renfrewshire
in the west central Lowlands
of Scotland
and serves as the administrative centre
for the Renfrewshire
council area. The town is situated on the northern edge of the Gleniffer Braes
, straddling the banks of the White Cart Water, a tributary of the River Clyde
.
The town, a former burgh
, forms part of a contiguous urban area with Greater Glasgow
, Glasgow
City Centre being 6.9 miles (11.1 km) to the east. The town came to prominence with the establishment of Paisley Abbey
in the 12th century, an important religious hub in mediaeval Scotland which formerly had control over the other churches in the local area.
By the 19th century, Paisley had established itself as a centre of the weaving
industry, giving its name to the Paisley Shawl
and the Paisley Pattern
. The town's associations with political Radicalism
were highlighted by its involvement in the Radical War
of 1820, with striking weavers being instrumental in the protests.
Formerly known as Paislay the burgh's name is of uncertain origin; some sources suggest a derivation either from the Brythonic
word, pasgill, 'pasture', or more likely, passeleg - 'basilica', (i.e. major church), itself derived from the Greek
βασιλική basilika. However, some Scottish place-name books suggest "Pæssa's wood/clearing", from the Old English personal name Pæssa and leāh - "clearing, wood". Pasilege (1182) and Paslie (1214) are recorded previous spellings of the name. The Gaelic spelling is Paslaig, but this area was not historically Gaelic.
Paisley has monastic origins. A chapel
is said 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 with Glasgow
and Govan
, a major religious centre of the Kingdom of Strathclyde
. A priory was established in 1163 from the Cluniac priory
at Wenlock
in Shropshire
, England
at the behest of Walter Fitzalan
(d. 1177) High Steward of Scotland
. In 1245 this was raised to the status of an Abbey. The restored Abbey
and adjacent 'Place' (palace), constructed out of part of the medieval claustral buildings, survive as a Church of Scotland
parish church. One of Scotland
's major religious houses, Paisley Abbey
was much favoured by the Bruce
and Stewart royal families. It is generally accepted that William Wallace
was educated here. King Robert III
(1390–1406) was buried in the Abbey. His tomb has not survived, but that of Princess Marjorie Bruce
(1296–1316), ancestor of the Stewarts, is one of Scotland
's few royal monuments to survive the Reformation
.
Paisley coalesced under James 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 by James IV
to Burgh of barony
.
Many trades sprang up and the first school was established in 1577 by the Town Council. By the mid-nineteenth century weaving had become the town's principal industry. The Paisley weaver's most famous product were the shawl
s, which bore the Paisley Pattern
made fashionable after being worn by a young Queen Victoria
. Despite being of a Kashmir
i design and manufactured in other parts of Europe, the teardrop-like pattern soon became known by Paisley's name across the western world. 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 of Renfrewshire Council, the local authority.
Through its weaving fraternity, Paisley gained note as being a literate and somewhat radical town. By this time there was a real mixture of religious opinions and healthy drink-fueled debate raged at night amongst the weavers, poets, merchants, masons and others. The poet Robert Tannahill
lived in this setting, working as a weaver. The weavers of Paisley were also active in the Radical War
of 1820. Paisley's annual Sma' Shot Day celebrations held on the first Saturday of June 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 together garments.
and on the high ground many of Paisley's significant buildings can be found, such as the High Kirk, the Coats Observatory
and the former John Neilson Institution, which was once a school and is now converted into residential flats.
Around the centre there are a large number of older residential buildings. The town centre, Williamsburgh and Charleston areas contain many examples of Scottish tenement flats
. Three to four stories tall, with shops on the ground floor and constructed of local blond and red sandstone
, these tenement flats have been extensively restored and modernised over the last two decades.
Paisley expanded steadily, particularly in the Victorian
and Edwardian eras, creating many suburbs around the centre of the town. Castlehead
is a wooded conservation 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, another conservation area, is located to the south of the town. It contains a variety of architecture ranging from mock Tudor to Art Deco
. Many of the houses were designed by W D McLennan, who also designed several local churches such as Saint Matthew's.
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 of Glenburn
(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
, situated to the south east of the centre of the town, is a residential area which is also the site of a secure psychiatric hospital.
On the outskirts of the town are a number of settlements such as Ralston
, a residential area in the far east bordering the city of Glasgow
. Ralston was outside the Paisley burgh boundary when constructed in the 1930s but, as a result of local authority re-organisation in the 1990s, it is now generally regarded as a suburb of Paisley.
Paisley, as with other areas in Renfrewshire, was at one time famous for its weaving
and textile
industries. As a consequence, the Paisley pattern has long symbolic associations with the town. Until the Jacquard loom
was introduced in the 1820s, weaving was a cottage 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 sewing thread
. At the heyday of Paisley thread manufacture in the 1930s, there were 28,000 people employed in the huge Anchor and Ferguslie mills of J & P Coats Ltd, said to be the largest of their kind in the world at that time. 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 in India
and Brazil
by J & P Coats. By the end of the 1980s, there was no thread being produced in Paisley. Both industries have left a permanent mark on the town in the form of the many places with textile related names, for example, Dyer's Wynd, Cotton Street, Thread Street, Shuttle Street, Lawn Street, Silk Street, Mill Street, Gauze Street and Incle Street.
The town also supported a number of engineering works some of which relied on the textile industry, others on shipbuilding
. Paisley once had five shipyards including John Fullerton and Company (1866–1928), Bow, McLachlan and Company
(1872–1932) and Fleming and Ferguson (1877–1969). These have declined in the area, with engineering firms such as Fullerton, Hodgart and Barclay and Whites Engineering closing in the mid-1970s.
A number of food manufacture companies have existed in Paisley. The preserve manufacturer Robertsons which was founded in Paisley in the 1860s was taken over by Rank Hovis McDougall who closed its Stevenson Street factory and transferred production to Bristol
, Manchester
and London
in the 1970s. Brown & Polson commenced producing starch
and cornflour
in Paisley in the 1860s. It later became CPC Foods Ltd, a subsidiary of Unilever
, which produced Hellmann's
mayonnaise
, Gerber
baby foods and Knorr soups. The company ceased production in Paisley in 2002.
A number of industries remained in the area until recent times. In 1981 Peugeot Talbot
, formerly Chrysler
and before that Rootes, announced that its Linwood factory just outside of Paisley would cease production. This led to the loss of almost 5,000 jobs. Since the 1980s, a number of other employers have closed such as the British Gas
distribution and service centre, Cadbury's distribution centre and William Grant & Sons
the Scotch whisky
producer which moved production to Strathclyde Business Park near Bellshill
in Lanarkshire
.
Some of the remaining businesses in the town are Scotch whisky
blenders and bottlers Chivas Brothers
now a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard
and the pigment manufactory of the Swiss company Ciba Geigy. Both companies employ considerably fewer people than in the past. The public sector is now a significant employer in Paisley, with the headquarters of Renfrewshire Council, the University of the West of Scotland, Reid Kerr College
, the Royal Alexandra Hospital
and a divisional headquarters of Strathclyde Police
all located in the town.Glasgow International Airport
, located on the edge of Paisley, is also a significant employer and part of the area's transport infrastructure. The airline Loganair
's registered office is located within the airport complex.
of the county of Renfrewshire
, Renfrew District
and, currently, Renfrewshire
council area, Paisley is home to many significant civic buildings. Paisley Town Hall, adjacent to the Abbey, was funded by the Clark family, owners of the Anchor Mills. In competition, Sir Peter Coats funded the construction of the modern Paisley 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. Renfrewshire's former County Buildings, Police Station and Jail on County Square have been since demolished, and the County Council then met in a newer neo-classical building which now houses Paisley Sheriff Court.
Renfrewshire House, the modern headquarters of Renfrewshire Council, was constructed as Paisley Civic Centre. Designed by Hutcheson, 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. It became the home of the Renfrew sub-region of Strathclyde
Regional Council in 1975 and of Renfrewshire
Council in 1996. It is listed by the conservation organisation DoCoMoMo as one of the sixty key Scottish monuments
of the post-war
period.
Other civic buildings of interest include the Russell Institute
, an art deco
building constructed in 1926.
Most noticeable among the buildings of Paisley is its medieval
Abbey
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 or Norman architecture which was the prevalent architectural style before the adoption of Gothic. The choir (east end) and tower date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are examples of Gothic 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.
Coats Memorial Baptist Church or Thomas Coats
Memorial Church is an example of Gothic Revival architecture
. It dominates the town's skyline with its crown spire more than 60 metres (197 ft) high. Opened in 1894 and designed by Hippolyte Jean Blanc
it is the largest Baptist
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.
The Cathedral Church of Saint Mirin (St Mirin's Cathedral
) in Incle Street is the seat of the Catholic Bishop 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 the Reformation
. With the erection of the Diocese 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 is Art Nouveau
in style. Designed by local architect William Daniel McLennan, a contemporary of Charles Rennie Mackintosh
, it was built in 1906.
As a result of its historic textile industry, Paisley is home to many examples of Victorian
industrial architecture. Most notable is the Category A listed Anchor Mills, built in 1886. The building was converted in 2005 into residential flats. 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 a cottage industry.
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 and was also used as a "soapbox
" and was originally inscribed with its history (now largely faded). It was moved from its original site in 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.
A memorial also exists in the town to the legal case of Donoghue v Stevenson, also known as the Paisley Snail Case, which established the modern rules of negligence
in Scots law
and the legal systems of the Commonwealth
.
University of the West of Scotland, which was created from a merger between the University of Paisley
and Bell College
in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
. The University of Paisley was granted university status in 1992, having existed previously as a central institution
known as Paisley College of Technology. A further education
college, Reid Kerr College
, is also based in the town.
There are currently four comprehensive
state secondary schools in Paisley: Paisley Grammar School
, Castlehead High School, St. Andrew's Academy and Gleniffer High School. The oldest of these is Paisley Grammar which was founded in 1576 and was one of two former grammar school
s 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 schools in the town, all are non-denominational save for St Andrew's Academy which is a Roman Catholic school.
Paisley is home to a number of religious denominations and an important historical centre for the Christian faith in Scotland. The town's historic patron saint
is Saint Mirin
(or Mirren); according to legendary accounts, Mirin settled in Paisley as a missionary sent from Greece in the 6th century and was instrumental in bringing the relics of St Andrew to Scotland. Paisley Abbey
, one of the towns most significant landmarks, was constructed in the 12th century and raised to abbey
status in the 13th. It served as an ecclesiatical centre for a wide area surrounding the county of Renfrewshire
for centuries until the Reformation
where such religious centres were reduced to the status of parish church
es. For the established Church of Scotland
, Paisley forms part of the Presbytery of Greenock and Paisley in the Synod
of Clydesdale
(see: Church of Scotland synods and presbyteries).
Other Christian communities have a number of churches in Paisley, many of which were the result of the Industrial Revolution
where people from around the British Isles
came to Paisley for work. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Paisley
, created in 1947, is centred upon the town's St Mirin's Cathedral
, the seat of the Bishop of Paisley. Paisley also forms part of the Episcopalian
(Anglican) Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway
with the its main facilities being contained at the Holy Trinity and St Barnabas Church in the town centre, a congregation which united in 2004. The Coats Memorial Baptist Church, one of the town's major landmarks and the largest Baptist church building in Europe, is the centre of Paisley's Baptist
congregation and was constructed in 1894.
Other smaller religious groups exist in the town. The Methodist Church of Great Britain
has a church and central hall opposite Paisley Abbey which forms part of the Ayrshire and Renfrewshire Circuit
. The Christadelphians
meet in a hall on Alice Street. There is a small Islam
ic centre on Paisley Road in nearby Renfrew
and a larger mosque in Glasgow
.
, the first High Steward of Scotland
and founder of Paisley Abbey, eventually becoming the Scottish and British
Royal Family. The Stewarts once resided at a castle in nearby Renfrew
. All six of the High Stewards are buried in the Abbey, as is Marjorie Bruce
- the eldest daughter of Robert I of Scotland
(Robert the Bruce) - who married the 6th 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 son, Robert III
is buried there.
Ronald Reagan's
maternal great-great grand-parents, Claude Wilson and Margaret Downey were married at Paisley
High Church on 23 May 1807.
Other notable people associated with Paisley include:
, based in New Street in the town centre. It is owned by the Trinity Mirror
Group. Various local radio stations have operated at times, including Q96
from 1992 to 2007 - serving the Renfrewshire
area, although for a considerable period based in neighbouring Glasgow. Its replacement, Glasgow-based Guardian Media Group
station 96.3 Rock Radio
carries Renfrewshire focused material. Since 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.
in 2006. In 2009, the team moved from their Love Street stadium to a new 8,029 stadium known formally as St Mirren Park on Greenhill Road. St Mirren last won the Scottish Cup
on 16 May 1987. Since then, the club has won the Scottish First division title twice, in the 1999-2000 season, and in the 2005-2006 season, as well as winning the Challenge Cup
in 2005. In addition to professional football, the club is also involved in youth development and social projects in the town. Another professional football team, Abercorn F.C.
, was based in Paisley until its decline and liquidation in 1920.
Paisley is also home to the Kelburne Hockey Club
, who have dominated Scottish domestic hockey in the last 3 seasons. Kelburne HC run 5 gentlemen's teams, 3 ladies' teams and have over 100 juniors regularly competing for the club at district and national level. Kelburne HC has also supplies the Scottish National Team with the vast majority of the gentlemen's team. The club has also had success in Europe with recent tournament victories in Austria and Switzerland.
Motorcycle speedway was staged at St Mirren Park in 1975 and 1976 when the Paisley Lions
raced in the second division of the British League. The Lions were moderately successful but despite the best efforts of their supporters, the venue ceased to operate.
network and contains Glasgow International Airport
within its boundaries.
Paisley is connected by road to the United Kingdom's motorway network with the M8 running along the northern edge of the town, providing access to Greenock to the west and Glasgow to the east. This forms part of the unsigned E05 Euroroute
from Greenock to Gibraltar. Many major A roads converge through the town including the A726, A737 and A761. The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
, a public body
, has direct operational responsibilities covering the area, such as supporting (and in some cases running) local bus services in Paisley and across Strathclyde
.
The town is served by four railway stations and linked by rail to Glasgow
city centre as well as Inverclyde
and the Ayrshire
coast. Paisley Gilmour Street
is the largest of the stations, with smaller stations at Paisley St James
, Paisley Canal
and Hawkhead
. The rail links also connect to Glasgow Prestwick International Airport
and ferry routes to Dunoon
, the Isle of Arran
, Isle of Bute
and Ireland
. Over the years there have been thirteen railway stations
in Paisley and three rail lines that are now closed. The Paisley and Barrhead District Railway
, the Barrhead Branch
of the GSWR
, and the Paisley and Renfrew Railway
. Paisley Canal station and the Paisley Canal Line
owe their names to the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal
which occupied the route of the line until 1885, when it was filled in.
Glasgow International Airport
, operated by BAA and Scotland's largest airport, is located to the north of Paisley at Abbotsinch. It is adjacent to the M8 Motorway and served by a bus link from Paisley Gilmour Street railway station. The planned Glasgow Airport Rail Link project, which was to run through Paisley, was abandoned in 2009. As mentioned above, Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire
is directly accessible by rail from Paisley Gilmour Street station.
The territorial police force
covering Paisley is Strathclyde Police
and the town accommodates the headquarters of the constabulary's K Division (Renfrewshire and Inverclyde) at Mill Street. Paisley is divided into four community policing areas: Paisley North-west (incorporating Linwood
and Glasgow International Airport), Paisley South-west (incorporating Elderslie
), Paisley East and Ralston and Paisley South. For judicial purposes, the area forms part of the sheriffdom
of North Strathclyde and public prosecutions
are directed by the Procurator Fiscal
for Argyll and Clyde
. There is a Sheriff Court
at Paisley, which occasionally houses sittings of Scotland's High Court of Justiciary
.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is the National Health Service
Board serving Paisley and the town's main hospital with accident and emergency facilities is the Royal Alexandra Hospital
. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue
is the statutory fire and rescue service
covering Paisley, with one community fire station
on the town's Canal Street
Water
and sewerage
is provided in Paisley by Scottish Water
, a public body, and water and sewerage charges are collected alongside council tax
by Renfrewshire Council, the local authority, on its behalf. Renfrewshire Council is also responsible for the provision of waste management
in the area. Paisley's Distribution Network Operator
, the organisation licensed to transmit electricity from the National Grid to consumers, is Scottish Power
.
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
of Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
in the west central Lowlands
Central Lowlands
The Central Lowlands or Midland Valley is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and the Southern Uplands Fault to the south...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and serves as the administrative centre
Administrative centre
An administrative centre is a term often used in several countries to refer to a county town, or other seat of regional or local government, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located....
for the Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
council area. The town is situated on the northern edge of the Gleniffer Braes
Gleniffer Braes
Gleniffer Braes is a short range of hills to the south of Paisley, Scotland which form the boundary of Renfrewshire and Ayrshire.-Area:...
, straddling the banks of the White Cart Water, a tributary of the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
.
The town, a former burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
, forms part of a contiguous urban area with Greater Glasgow
Greater Glasgow
Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
City Centre being 6.9 miles (11.1 km) to the east. The town came to prominence with the establishment of Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey is a former Cluniac monastery, and current Church of Scotland parish kirk, located on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in west central Scotland.-History:...
in the 12th century, an important religious hub in mediaeval Scotland which formerly had control over the other churches in the local area.
By the 19th century, Paisley had established itself as a centre of the weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
industry, giving its name to the Paisley Shawl
Shawl
A shawl is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, that is often folded to make a triangle but can also be triangular in shape...
and the Paisley Pattern
Paisley (design)
Paisley or Paisley pattern is a droplet-shaped vegetable motif of Indian, Pakistani and Persian origin. The pattern is sometimes called "Persian pickles" by American traditionalists, especially quiltmakers,The Persian Pickle Club, Sandra Dallas. St. Martin's Press,...
. The town's associations with political Radicalism
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
were highlighted by its involvement in the Radical War
Radical War
The Radical War, also known as the Scottish Insurrection of 1820, was a week of strikes and unrest, a culmination of Radical demands for reform in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which had become prominent in the early years of the French Revolution, but had then been repressed...
of 1820, with striking weavers being instrumental in the protests.
History
Brythonic languages
The Brythonic or Brittonic languages form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family, the other being Goidelic. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning an indigenous Briton as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael...
word, pasgill, 'pasture', or more likely, passeleg - 'basilica', (i.e. major church), itself derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
βασιλική basilika. However, some Scottish place-name books suggest "Pæssa's wood/clearing", from the Old English personal name Pæssa and leāh - "clearing, wood". Pasilege (1182) and Paslie (1214) are recorded previous spellings of the name. The Gaelic spelling is Paslaig, but this area was not historically Gaelic.
Paisley has monastic origins. A chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
is said to have been established by the 6th/7th century Irish monk, Saint Mirin
Saint Mirin
Saint Mirin or Mirren, an Irish monk and missionary , is also known as Mirren of Benchor , Merinus, Merryn and Meadhrán. The patron saint of the town and Roman Catholic diocese of Paisley, Scotland, he was the founder of a religious community which grew to become Paisley Abbey...
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 with Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
, a major religious centre of the Kingdom of Strathclyde
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Strathclyde , originally Brythonic Ystrad Clud, was one of the early medieval kingdoms of the celtic people called the Britons in the Hen Ogledd, the Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England. The kingdom developed during the post-Roman period...
. A priory was established in 1163 from the Cluniac priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
at Wenlock
Much Wenlock Priory
Much Wenlock Priory is a ruined 12th century monastery, located in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, at . The foundation was a part of the Cluniac order, which was refounded in 1079 and 1082, on the site of an earlier 7th century monastery, by Roger de Montgomery...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at the behest of Walter Fitzalan
Walter Fitzalan
Walter fitz Alan was the 1st hereditary High Steward of Scotland , and described as "a Norman by culture and by blood a Breton"...
(d. 1177) High Steward of Scotland
High Steward of Scotland
The title of High Steward or Great Steward was given in the 12th century to Walter Fitzalan, whose descendants became the House of Stewart. In 1371, the last High Steward inherited the throne, and thereafter the title of High Steward of Scotland has been held as a subsidiary title to that of Duke...
. In 1245 this was raised to the status of an Abbey. The restored Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
and adjacent 'Place' (palace), constructed out of part of the medieval claustral buildings, survive as a Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
parish church. One of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's major religious houses, Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey is a former Cluniac monastery, and current Church of Scotland parish kirk, located on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in west central Scotland.-History:...
was much favoured by the Bruce
Bruce
The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix of the Manche département in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands"...
and Stewart royal families. It is generally accepted that William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
was educated here. King Robert III
Robert III of Scotland
Robert III was King of Scots from 1390 to his death. His given name was John Stewart, and he was known primarily as the Earl of Carrick before ascending the throne at age 53...
(1390–1406) was buried in the Abbey. His tomb has not survived, but that of Princess Marjorie Bruce
Marjorie Bruce
Marjorie Bruce or Marjorie de Brus was the eldest daughter of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots by his first wife, Isabella of Mar, and the founder of the Stewart dynasty. Her marriage to Walter, High Steward of Scotland gave rise to the House of Stewart...
(1296–1316), ancestor of the Stewarts, is one of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's few royal monuments to survive the Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
.
Paisley coalesced under James II's
James II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
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 by James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
to Burgh of barony
Burgh of barony
A burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town .They were distinct from royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown....
.
Many trades sprang up and the first school was established in 1577 by the Town Council. By the mid-nineteenth century weaving had become the town's principal industry. The Paisley weaver's most famous product were the shawl
Shawl
A shawl is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, that is often folded to make a triangle but can also be triangular in shape...
s, which bore the Paisley Pattern
Paisley (design)
Paisley or Paisley pattern is a droplet-shaped vegetable motif of Indian, Pakistani and Persian origin. The pattern is sometimes called "Persian pickles" by American traditionalists, especially quiltmakers,The Persian Pickle Club, Sandra Dallas. St. Martin's Press,...
made fashionable after being worn by a young Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. Despite being of a Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
i design and manufactured in other parts of Europe, the teardrop-like pattern soon became known by Paisley's name across the western world. 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 of Renfrewshire Council, the local authority.
Through its weaving fraternity, Paisley gained note as being a literate and somewhat radical town. By this time there was a real mixture of religious opinions and healthy drink-fueled debate raged at night amongst the weavers, poets, merchants, masons and others. The poet Robert Tannahill
Robert Tannahill
Robert Tannahill was a Scottish poet. Known as the 'Weaver Poet', his music and poetry is contemporaneous with that of Robert Burns.He was born at Castle Street in Paisley on 3 June 1774, the fourth son in a family of seven...
lived in this setting, working as a weaver. The weavers of Paisley were also active in the Radical War
Radical War
The Radical War, also known as the Scottish Insurrection of 1820, was a week of strikes and unrest, a culmination of Radical demands for reform in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which had become prominent in the early years of the French Revolution, but had then been repressed...
of 1820. Paisley's annual Sma' Shot Day celebrations held on the first Saturday of June 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 together garments.
Geography
Paisley sits primarily on an expanse of low ground around 40ft above sea level surrounding the White Cart Water, which runs through the town centre. There are a number of elevated hills and ridges which have been absorbed as the town has expanded. The settlement is historically centred on Oakshaw, an area surrounding a hill to the north of the current High Street. Oakshaw is a conservation areaConservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
and on the high ground many of Paisley's significant buildings can be found, such as the High Kirk, the Coats Observatory
Coats Observatory, Paisley
Coats Observatory is one of four public observatories operating in the UK, all of which are sited in Scotland.Coats Observatory is located in Oakshaw Street West, Paisley and was designed by Glasgow architect John Honeyman, with funding coming from local thread manufacturer Thomas Coats...
and the former John Neilson Institution, which was once a school and is now converted into residential flats.
Around the centre there are a large number of older residential buildings. The town centre, Williamsburgh and Charleston areas contain many examples of Scottish tenement flats
Tenement
A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...
. Three to four stories tall, with shops on the ground floor and constructed of local blond and red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, these tenement flats have been extensively restored and modernised over the last two decades.
Paisley expanded steadily, particularly in the Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
and Edwardian eras, creating many suburbs around the centre of the town. Castlehead
Castlehead, Paisley
Castlehead is a district of Paisley in Scotland. It is a heavily wooded area of Victorian villas where many of Paisley’s most influential industrialists and professionals made their homes as a nineteenth-century industrial boom town became overcrowded....
is a wooded conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
primarily made up of Victorian villas where many of the town's leading industrialists made their homes in the late 19th century. Thornly Park, another conservation area, is located to the south of the town. It contains a variety of architecture ranging from mock Tudor to Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
. Many of the houses were designed by W D McLennan, who also designed several local churches such as Saint Matthew's.
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 of Glenburn
Glenburn, Paisley
Glenburn is a large housing estate situated to the south of Paisley, close to the Gleniffer Braes. Glenburn has three primary schools . A public library and many shops can be found at Skye Crescent. Other shops can be found in Glenburn on Braehead Road and Glenburn Road...
(south), Foxbar
Foxbar
Foxbar is an area of Paisley, bordered by the Gleniffer Braes and Paisley town centre. Consisting mostly of residential areas, Foxbar has rapidly grown over the past century to be one of the largest housing areas in the town....
(south west), Ferguslie Park
Ferguslie Park
Ferguslie Park is a housing area at the north-west extremity of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is bordered by the town of Linwood to the west and Glasgow International Airport to the north. In 2006, the Scottish Executive named it as one of Scotland's most deprived communities. This...
(north west), Gallowhill
Gallowhill
Gallowhill is a housing estate in the north east of Paisley, a town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Its approximate boundaries are formed by the M8 motorway to the north, the A741 Renfrew Rd to the west, to the south the Inverclyde railway line with Arkleston Farm making up the estate's eastern border...
(North East) and Hunterhill (South East). Gockston
Gockston
Gockston is a small housing estate in the north of Paisley across the M8 from Glasgow Airport. It is part of the St James estate along with Shortroods. The ground was weak and peat-filled until it was prepared for the Airport in the 1960s and the construction of houses was able to take...
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
Dykebar, Paisley
Dykebar is a small residential estate at the southernmost point of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is situated next to the Hawkhead area approximately one half kilometre from Barrhead, and is home to Paisley's secured mental hospital....
, situated to the south east of the centre of the town, is a residential area which is also the site of a secure psychiatric hospital.
On the outskirts of the town are a number of settlements such as Ralston
Ralston
Ralston is a small, suburban settlement in Renfrewshire, Scotland, bordering onto the eastern edge of the town of Paisley...
, a residential area in the far east bordering the city of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Ralston was outside the Paisley burgh boundary when constructed in the 1930s but, as a result of local authority re-organisation in the 1990s, it is now generally regarded as a suburb of Paisley.
Economy
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
and textile
Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
industries. As a consequence, the Paisley pattern has long symbolic associations with the town. Until the Jacquard loom
Jacquard loom
The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom, invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1801, that simplifies the process of manufacturing textiles with complex patterns such as brocade, damask and matelasse. The loom is controlled by punched cards with punched holes, each row of which corresponds to one row...
was introduced in the 1820s, weaving was a cottage 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
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Paisley was for many years a centre for the manufacture of cotton sewing thread
Yarn
Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or...
. At the heyday of Paisley thread manufacture in the 1930s, there were 28,000 people employed in the huge Anchor and Ferguslie mills of J & P Coats Ltd, said to be the largest of their kind in the world at that time. 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 in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
by J & P Coats. By the end of the 1980s, there was no thread being produced in Paisley. Both industries have left a permanent mark on the town in the form of the many places with textile related names, for example, Dyer's Wynd, Cotton Street, Thread Street, Shuttle Street, Lawn Street, Silk Street, Mill Street, Gauze Street and Incle Street.
The town also supported a number of engineering works some of which relied on the textile industry, others on shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
. Paisley once had five shipyards including John Fullerton and Company (1866–1928), Bow, McLachlan and Company
Bow, McLachlan and Company
Bow, McLachlan and Company was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding company that traded between 1872 and 1932.-1872-1914:In 1872 William Bow and John McLachlan founded the company at Abbotsinch, Renfrewshire, where it made steering gear and light marine steam engines. In 1900 the company...
(1872–1932) and Fleming and Ferguson (1877–1969). These have declined in the area, with engineering firms such as Fullerton, Hodgart and Barclay and Whites Engineering closing in the mid-1970s.
A number of food manufacture companies have existed in Paisley. The preserve manufacturer Robertsons which was founded in Paisley in the 1860s was taken over by Rank Hovis McDougall who closed its Stevenson Street factory and transferred production to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the 1970s. Brown & Polson commenced producing starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
and cornflour
Cornstarch
Corn starch, cornstarch, cornflour or maize starch is the starch of the corn grain obtained from the endosperm of the corn kernel.-History:...
in Paisley in the 1860s. It later became CPC Foods Ltd, a subsidiary of Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
, which produced Hellmann's
Hellmann's and Best Foods
Hellmann's and Best Foods are brand names that are used for the same line of mayonnaise and other food products. The Hellmann's brand is sold in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, and also in Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Canada...
mayonnaise
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, , often abbreviated as mayo, is a sauce. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier. Mayonnaise varies in color but is often white, cream, or pale...
, Gerber
Gerber Products Company
Gerber Products Company is a purveyor of baby food and baby products. A former American-owned company, Gerber is now a subsidiary of Nestlé, and is currently located in Fremont, Michigan, USA.-History:...
baby foods and Knorr soups. The company ceased production in Paisley in 2002.
A number of industries remained in the area until recent times. In 1981 Peugeot Talbot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
, formerly Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
and before that Rootes, announced that its Linwood factory just outside of Paisley would cease production. This led to the loss of almost 5,000 jobs. Since the 1980s, a number of other employers have closed such as the British Gas
British Gas plc
British Gas plc was formerly the monopoly gas supplier and is a private sector in the United Kingdom.- History :In the early 1900s the gas market in the United Kingdom was mainly run by county councils and small private firms...
distribution and service centre, Cadbury's distribution centre and William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons Ltd. is an independent, family-owned Scottish company which distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is now run by the descendants of the founder. It is the largest of the handful of Scotch whisky...
the Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...
producer which moved production to Strathclyde Business Park near Bellshill
Bellshill
Bellshill is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, 10 miles south east of Glasgow city centre and 37 miles west of Edinburgh. Other nearby towns are Motherwell , Hamilton and Coatbridge . Since 1996, it has been situated in the Greater Glasgow metropolitan area...
in Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
.
Some of the remaining businesses in the town are Scotch whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
blenders and bottlers Chivas Brothers
Chivas Regal
Chivas Regal is a blended Scotch whisky produced by Chivas Brothers, owned by Pernod Ricard. According to the brand packaging, Chivas Brothers was first established in 1801 in Aberdeen, Scotland. The Chivas brand's home is Strathisla Distillery at Keith, Moray in Speyside, Scotland.It is the...
now a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard is a French company that produces distilled beverages. The company's eponymous products, Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis, are both anise-flavoured liqueurs and are often referred to simply as Pernod or Ricard...
and the pigment manufactory of the Swiss company Ciba Geigy. Both companies employ considerably fewer people than in the past. The public sector is now a significant employer in Paisley, with the headquarters of Renfrewshire Council, the University of the West of Scotland, Reid Kerr College
Reid Kerr College
Reid Kerr College is a further education college in Paisley, Renfrewshire. According to its website, it is one of the fastest growing further education institutions in Scotland with over 20,000 students, 650 staff and 300 courses....
, the Royal Alexandra Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital can refer to:*Royal Alexandra Hospital *Royal Alexandra Hospital *Royal Alexandra Hospital, Brighton*Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney, Australia*Royal Alexandra Hospital...
and a divisional headquarters of Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West...
all located in the town.Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
, located on the edge of Paisley, is also a significant employer and part of the area's transport infrastructure. The airline Loganair
Loganair
Loganair is a Scottish airline with its registered office on the grounds of Glasgow International Airport and in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Loganair operates scheduled services under a Flybe franchise in mainland Scotland and to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. In addition it operates...
's registered office is located within the airport complex.
Civic buildings
As the administrative centreAdministrative centre
An administrative centre is a term often used in several countries to refer to a county town, or other seat of regional or local government, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located....
of the county of Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
, Renfrew District
Renfrew District
Renfrew District 1975-96Renfrew District was one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, which existed between 1975 and 1996....
and, currently, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
council area, Paisley is home to many significant civic buildings. Paisley Town Hall, adjacent to the Abbey, was funded by the Clark family, owners of the Anchor Mills. In competition, Sir Peter Coats funded the construction of the modern Paisley 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. Renfrewshire's former County Buildings, Police Station and Jail on County Square have been since demolished, and the County Council then met in a newer neo-classical building which now houses Paisley Sheriff Court.
Renfrewshire House, the modern headquarters of Renfrewshire Council, was constructed as Paisley Civic Centre. Designed by Hutcheson, 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. It became the home of the Renfrew sub-region of Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
Regional Council in 1975 and of Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
Council in 1996. It is listed by the conservation organisation DoCoMoMo as one of the sixty key Scottish monuments
DoCoMoMo Key Scottish Monuments
DoCoMoMo Key Scottish Monuments is a list of 60 notable post-war buildings in Scotland, compiled in 1993 by the international architectural conservation organisation DoCoMoMo....
of the post-war
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
period.
Other civic buildings of interest include the Russell Institute
Russell Institute
The Russell Institute is a building in Paisley, Scotland. It was donated by Miss Agnes Russell to the Burgh of Paisley on 19 March 1927. The building was built as a memorial to her two brothers Thomas Russell and Robert Russell, who had died in 1920 and 1923 respectively. The building was completed...
, an art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
building constructed in 1926.
Religious sites
Medieval architecture
Medieval architecture is a term used to represent various forms of architecture common in Medieval Europe.-Characteristics:-Religious architecture:...
Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
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 or Norman architecture which was the prevalent architectural style before the adoption of Gothic. The choir (east end) and tower date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are examples of Gothic Revival architecture
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
. 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.
Thomas Coats
Thomas Coats was a Scottish thread manufacturer.-Life:Coats was born at Paisley 18 October 1809. He was the fourth of a family of ten sons. His father, James Coats, was one of the founders of the thread industry of Paisley...
Memorial Church is an example of Gothic Revival architecture
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
. It dominates the town's skyline with its crown spire more than 60 metres (197 ft) high. Opened in 1894 and designed by Hippolyte Jean Blanc
Hippolyte Blanc
Hippolyte Jean Blanc was a Scottish architect. Best known for his church buildings in the Gothic revival style, Blanc was also a keen antiquarian who oversaw meticulously researched restoration projects.-Early life:...
it is the largest Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. 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.
The Cathedral Church of Saint Mirin (St Mirin's Cathedral
St Mirin's Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Mirin in Paisley, dedicated to Saint Mirin the patron saint of Paisley, is the mother church of the Catholic Diocese of Paisley and is the seat of the Bishop of Paisley.-History:...
) in Incle Street is the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Paisley
Bishop of Paisley
The Bishop of Paisley is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paisley in the Province of Glasgow.The diocese covers an area of and is the smallest by area in Scotland. The see is in the town of Paisley where the seat is located at St Mirin's Cathedral.The diocese was erected on 25 May...
. 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 the Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
. With the erection of the Diocese of Paisley
Diocese of Paisley
The Diocese of Paisley is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Erected on 25 May 1947 from the Archdiocese of Glasgow the diocese covers the historic county of Renfrewshire and is in area making it the smallest diocese by area in Scotland...
in 1947 the church was raised to cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
status. St Matthew's Church (Church of the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
) at the junction of Gordon Street and Johnston Street is Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
in style. Designed by local architect William Daniel McLennan, a contemporary of Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, designer, watercolourist and artist. He was a designer in the Arts and Crafts movement and also the main representative of Art Nouveau in the United Kingdom. He had a considerable influence on European design...
, it was built in 1906.
Other
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
industrial architecture. Most notable is the Category A listed Anchor Mills, built in 1886. The building was converted in 2005 into residential flats. 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 a cottage industry.
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 and was also used as a "soapbox
Soapbox
A soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. The term originates from the days when speakers would elevate themselves by standing on a wooden crate originally used for shipment of soap or other dry goods from a manufacturer to a...
" and was originally inscribed with its history (now largely faded). It was moved from its original site in 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.
A memorial also exists in the town to the legal case of Donoghue v Stevenson, also known as the Paisley Snail Case, which established the modern rules of negligence
Negligence
Negligence is a failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances. The area of tort law known as negligence involves harm caused by carelessness, not intentional harm.According to Jay M...
in Scots law
Scots law
Scots law is the legal system of Scotland. It is considered a hybrid or mixed legal system as it traces its roots to a number of different historical sources. With English law and Northern Irish law it forms the legal system of the United Kingdom; it shares with the two other systems some...
and the legal systems of the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
.
Education
Paisley is the main site for the modernNew University
The UCI New University is a student-operated newspaper at the University of California, Irvine. Originally named the Spectrum, later Spectre, The Tongue, and The Anthill, it is published once a week during the regular academic year. Although the New University is officially a university department,...
University of the West of Scotland, which was created from a merger between the University of Paisley
University of Paisley
The University of the West of Scotland is a university operating from four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Hamilton, Ayr and Dumfries. The present institution dates from August 2007, following the merger of the University of Paisley with Bell College, Hamilton...
and Bell College
Bell College
Bell College was a higher education college based in Hamilton and Dumfries in Scotland. Founded in 1972, the College merged with the University of Paisley on 1 August 2007, it is now part of the renamed University of the West of Scotland.-History:...
in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
. The University of Paisley was granted university status in 1992, having existed previously as a central institution
Central Institution
A central institution was a type of higher education institute in 20th and 21st century Scotland responsible for providing degree-level education but emphasising teaching rather than research. Some had a range of courses similar to polytechnics elsewhere in the United Kingdom while others were...
known as Paisley College of Technology. A further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
college, Reid Kerr College
Reid Kerr College
Reid Kerr College is a further education college in Paisley, Renfrewshire. According to its website, it is one of the fastest growing further education institutions in Scotland with over 20,000 students, 650 staff and 300 courses....
, is also based in the town.
There are currently four comprehensive
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
state secondary schools in Paisley: Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School
Paisley Grammar School, known for a period following 1896 as the Paisley Grammar School and William B. Barbour Academy, is a non-denominational state comprehensive secondary school in Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school was founded in 1576 and was formerly a selective...
, Castlehead High School, St. Andrew's Academy and Gleniffer High School. The oldest of these is Paisley Grammar which was founded in 1576 and was one of two former grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
s 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
St Mirin's Academy
St Mirin's Academy was a Roman Catholic senior secondary school for boys founded in 1922 in Paisley, Scotland and dedicated to St Mirin, the patron saint of the town and of the Diocese of Paisley. The original buildings were located in East Buchanan Street next to St Mirin's Church. In 1933 the...
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 schools in the town, all are non-denominational save for St Andrew's Academy which is a Roman Catholic school.
Religion
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
is Saint Mirin
Saint Mirin
Saint Mirin or Mirren, an Irish monk and missionary , is also known as Mirren of Benchor , Merinus, Merryn and Meadhrán. The patron saint of the town and Roman Catholic diocese of Paisley, Scotland, he was the founder of a religious community which grew to become Paisley Abbey...
(or Mirren); according to legendary accounts, Mirin settled in Paisley as a missionary sent from Greece in the 6th century and was instrumental in bringing the relics of St Andrew to Scotland. Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey is a former Cluniac monastery, and current Church of Scotland parish kirk, located on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in west central Scotland.-History:...
, one of the towns most significant landmarks, was constructed in the 12th century and raised to abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
status in the 13th. It served as an ecclesiatical centre for a wide area surrounding the county of Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
for centuries until the Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
where such religious centres were reduced to the status of parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
es. For the established Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, Paisley forms part of the Presbytery of Greenock and Paisley in the Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of Clydesdale
Clydesdale
Clydesdale was formerly one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland.The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1973 from part of the former county of Lanarkshire: namely the burghs of Biggar and Lanark and the First, Second and Third Districts...
(see: Church of Scotland synods and presbyteries).
Other Christian communities have a number of churches in Paisley, many of which were the result of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
where people from around the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
came to Paisley for work. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Paisley
Diocese of Paisley
The Diocese of Paisley is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Erected on 25 May 1947 from the Archdiocese of Glasgow the diocese covers the historic county of Renfrewshire and is in area making it the smallest diocese by area in Scotland...
, created in 1947, is centred upon the town's St Mirin's Cathedral
St Mirin's Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Mirin in Paisley, dedicated to Saint Mirin the patron saint of Paisley, is the mother church of the Catholic Diocese of Paisley and is the seat of the Bishop of Paisley.-History:...
, the seat of the Bishop of Paisley. Paisley also forms part of the Episcopalian
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
(Anglican) Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway
Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway
The Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers Dumfries and Galloway, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire , Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and west Stirlingshire . The diocesan centre is St...
with the its main facilities being contained at the Holy Trinity and St Barnabas Church in the town centre, a congregation which united in 2004. The Coats Memorial Baptist Church, one of the town's major landmarks and the largest Baptist church building in Europe, is the centre of Paisley's Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
congregation and was constructed in 1894.
Other smaller religious groups exist in the town. The Methodist Church of Great Britain
Methodist Church of Great Britain
The Methodist Church of Great Britain is the largest Wesleyan Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain . It is the United Kingdom's fourth largest Christian denomination, with around 300,000 members and 6,000 churches...
has a church and central hall opposite Paisley Abbey which forms part of the Ayrshire and Renfrewshire Circuit
Methodist Circuit
The Methodist Circuit is part of the organisational structure of British Methodism,or at least those branches derived from the work of John Wesley. It is a group of individual Societies or local Churches under the care of one or more Methodist Ministers. In the scale of organisation, the Circuit...
. The Christadelphians
Christadelphians
Christadelphians is a Christian group that developed in the United Kingdom and North America in the 19th century...
meet in a hall on Alice Street. There is a small Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic centre on Paisley Road in nearby Renfrew
Renfrew
-Local government:The town of Renfrew gave its name to a number of local government areas used at various times:*Renfrew a town to the west of Glasgow*Renfrewshire, the present unitary local council area in which Renfrew is situatated....
and a larger mosque in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Notable people
Historically, Paisley was notable as being the religious home of the Stewart family who descended from Walter FitzAlanWalter Fitzalan
Walter fitz Alan was the 1st hereditary High Steward of Scotland , and described as "a Norman by culture and by blood a Breton"...
, the first High Steward of Scotland
High Steward of Scotland
The title of High Steward or Great Steward was given in the 12th century to Walter Fitzalan, whose descendants became the House of Stewart. In 1371, the last High Steward inherited the throne, and thereafter the title of High Steward of Scotland has been held as a subsidiary title to that of Duke...
and founder of Paisley Abbey, eventually becoming the Scottish and British
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
Royal Family. The Stewarts once resided at a castle in nearby Renfrew
Renfrew
-Local government:The town of Renfrew gave its name to a number of local government areas used at various times:*Renfrew a town to the west of Glasgow*Renfrewshire, the present unitary local council area in which Renfrew is situatated....
. All six of the High Stewards are buried in the Abbey, as is Marjorie Bruce
Marjorie Bruce
Marjorie Bruce or Marjorie de Brus was the eldest daughter of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots by his first wife, Isabella of Mar, and the founder of the Stewart dynasty. Her marriage to Walter, High Steward of Scotland gave rise to the House of Stewart...
- the eldest daughter of Robert I of Scotland
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
(Robert the Bruce) - who married the 6th High Steward
Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland
Walter Stewart was the 6th hereditary High Steward of Scotland. He was also the father of King Robert II of Scotland.-Biography:...
thus founding the Stewart dynasty. The first Stewart King of Scotland and son of Marjorie Bruce and Walter Stewart, Robert II
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
, is believed to have been born in the Abbey. His son, Robert III
Robert III of Scotland
Robert III was King of Scots from 1390 to his death. His given name was John Stewart, and he was known primarily as the Earl of Carrick before ascending the throne at age 53...
is buried there.
Ronald Reagan's
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
maternal great-great grand-parents, Claude Wilson and Margaret Downey were married at Paisley
High Church on 23 May 1807.
Other notable people associated with Paisley include:
Arts
Media
Politics
Sport
Other
Media
Paisley has one local daily newspaper, the Paisley Daily ExpressPaisley Daily Express
The Paisley Daily Express is a Scottish newspaper based in Paisley, covering the Renfrewshire area. The paper, which is currently owned by Trinity Mirror has its main offices on New Street in Paisley town centre. It is printed by Trinity Mirror Saltire in Glasgow.The paper is sold in newsagents and...
, based in New Street in the town centre. It is owned by the Trinity Mirror
Trinity Mirror
Trinity Mirror plc is a large British newspaper and magazine publisher. It is Britain's biggest newspaper group, publishing 240 regional papers as well as the national Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People, and the Scottish Sunday Mail and Daily Record. Its headquarters are at Canary Wharf in...
Group. Various local radio stations have operated at times, including Q96
Q96
Q96 was an independent local radio station, which broadcast for 14 years to the Scottish county of Renfrewshire. Q96 broadcast as an FM station on the 96.3 MHz frequency after a local licence for the Paisley area was offered...
from 1992 to 2007 - serving the Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
area, although for a considerable period based in neighbouring Glasgow. Its replacement, Glasgow-based Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group plc is a company of the United Kingdom owning various mass media operations including The Guardian and The Observer. The Group is owned by the Scott Trust. It was founded as the Manchester Guardian Ltd in 1907 when C. P. Scott bought the Manchester Guardian from the estate of...
station 96.3 Rock Radio
96.3 Rock Radio
96.3 Real Radio XS is a Scottish local radio station owned and operated by GMG Radio. It is based at Ballieston to the east of Glasgow and broadcasts to Renfrewshire, West Central Scotland and Central Scotland....
carries Renfrewshire focused material. Since 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.
Sport
St Mirren F.C. is Paisley's sole professional association football team and returned to playing in the Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
in 2006. In 2009, the team moved from their Love Street stadium to a new 8,029 stadium known formally as St Mirren Park on Greenhill Road. St Mirren last won the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
on 16 May 1987. Since then, the club has won the Scottish First division title twice, in the 1999-2000 season, and in the 2005-2006 season, as well as winning the Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
in 2005. In addition to professional football, the club is also involved in youth development and social projects in the town. Another professional football team, Abercorn F.C.
Abercorn F.C.
Abercorn Football Club was a football club based in Paisley, Scotland, which played in the Scottish Football League from 1890 until 1915. The team's strip colours were blue and white stripes. Abercorn were founder members of the Scottish Football League, but eventually could not compete with...
, was based in Paisley until its decline and liquidation in 1920.
Paisley is also home to the Kelburne Hockey Club
Kelburne Hockey Club
Kelburne Hockey Club is a Scottish field hockey club, founded in 1969 and based in Paisley. Kelburne today operates five senior men's teams, three senior women's teams and numerous junior teams at all age group levels. The club has dominated Scottish domestic hockey in recent seasons...
, who have dominated Scottish domestic hockey in the last 3 seasons. Kelburne HC run 5 gentlemen's teams, 3 ladies' teams and have over 100 juniors regularly competing for the club at district and national level. Kelburne HC has also supplies the Scottish National Team with the vast majority of the gentlemen's team. The club has also had success in Europe with recent tournament victories in Austria and Switzerland.
Motorcycle speedway was staged at St Mirren Park in 1975 and 1976 when the Paisley Lions
Paisley Lions
Paisley Lions were a motorcycle speedway team that participated in the British National League in 1975 and 1976.The team was based at Love Street in Paisley, Scotland, home of St Mirren F.C..The club's colours were red and gold with a Rampant Lion...
raced in the second division of the British League. The Lions were moderately successful but despite the best efforts of their supporters, the venue ceased to operate.
Transport
Paisley is connected to the motorway network, the National RailNational Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
network and contains Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
within its boundaries.
Paisley is connected by road to the United Kingdom's motorway network with the M8 running along the northern edge of the town, providing access to Greenock to the west and Glasgow to the east. This forms part of the unsigned E05 Euroroute
International E-road network
The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe . The network is numbered from E 1 up and its roads cross national borders...
from Greenock to Gibraltar. Many major A roads converge through the town including the A726, A737 and A761. The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport is a public body which is responsible for planning and co-ordinating regional transport, and especially the public transport system, in the Strathclyde area of western Scotland...
, a public body
Scottish public bodies
Public bodies of the Scottish Government are organisations that are funded by the Scottish Government. It includes executive and advisory non-departmental public bodies ; tribunals; and nationalised industries....
, has direct operational responsibilities covering the area, such as supporting (and in some cases running) local bus services in Paisley and across Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
.
The town is served by four railway stations and linked by rail to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
city centre as well as Inverclyde
Inverclyde
Inverclyde is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire - which current exists as a registration county and lieutenancy area - located in the west...
and the Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
coast. Paisley Gilmour Street
Paisley Gilmour Street railway station
Paisley Gilmour Street railway station is one of four stations serving the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland . The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line, 12 km west of...
is the largest of the stations, with smaller stations at Paisley St James
Paisley St James railway station
Paisley St James railway station is on the Inverclyde Line, serving a residential district of Paisley, Scotland, just west of the town centre...
, Paisley Canal
Paisley Canal railway station
Paisley Canal railway station is a railway station in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and lies on the Paisley Canal Line.-History:...
and Hawkhead
Hawkhead railway station
Hawkhead railway station is a railway station in the Seedhill area of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and lies on the Paisley Canal Line 10 km west of Glasgow Central.-History:...
. The rail links also connect to Glasgow Prestwick International Airport
Glasgow Prestwick International Airport
Glasgow Prestwick Airport is an international airport serving the Greater Glasgow urban area, situated northeast of the town of Prestwick in South Ayrshire and 32 miles from the city centre of Glasgow....
and ferry routes to Dunoon
Dunoon
Dunoon is a resort town situated on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It sits on the Firth of Clyde to the south of Holy Loch and to the west of Gourock.-Waterfront:...
, the Isle of Arran
Isle of Arran
Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...
, Isle of Bute
Isle of Bute
Bute is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Formerly part of the county of Buteshire, it now constitutes part of the council area of Argyll and Bute. Its resident population was 7,228 in April 2001.-Geography:...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Over the years there have been thirteen railway stations
Paisley railway station
Paisley railway station may refer to one of several railway stations in the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland:- Those with Paisley in the station name :* Paisley Abercorn railway station * Paisley Canal railway station...
in Paisley and three rail lines that are now closed. The Paisley and Barrhead District Railway
Paisley and Barrhead District Railway
The Paisley and Barrhead District Railway was a railway in Scotland that ran between the towns of Paisley and Barrhead. Despite stations being built on the line, the railway was only ever open to freight services. For this reason it was known locally as "the dummy railway".-History:The railway was...
, the Barrhead Branch
Barrhead Branch
The Barrhead Branch was a short lived branch line of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Scotland] that connected the G&SWR Paisley Canal Branch to the G&SWR / CR Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway.-History:...
of the GSWR
Great Southern and Western Railway
The Great Southern and Western Railway was the largest Irish gauge railway company in Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
, and the Paisley and Renfrew Railway
Paisley and Renfrew Railway
The Paisley and Renfrew railway was a railway line from the town of Paisley to its neighbouring town Renfrew; and to the River Clyde at Renfrew wharf. The railway was built to the Scotch gauge of...
. Paisley Canal station and the Paisley Canal Line
Paisley Canal Line
The Paisley Canal Railway line was originally a Glasgow and South Western Railway branch line running from Glasgow, Scotland, through three stations in Paisley, to North Johnstone...
owe their names to the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal
Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal
The Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal was a canal in the west of Scotland, running between Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone which later became a railway. Despite the name, the canal was never completed down to Ardrossan, the termini being Port Eglinton in Glasgow and Thorn Brae in Johnstone...
which occupied the route of the line until 1885, when it was filled in.
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
, operated by BAA and Scotland's largest airport, is located to the north of Paisley at Abbotsinch. It is adjacent to the M8 Motorway and served by a bus link from Paisley Gilmour Street railway station. The planned Glasgow Airport Rail Link project, which was to run through Paisley, was abandoned in 2009. As mentioned above, Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
is directly accessible by rail from Paisley Gilmour Street station.
Public Services
Territorial police force
The phrase Territorial Police Force varies in precise meaning according to the country to which it is related, generally distinguishing a force whose area of responsibility is defined by sub-national boundaries from others which deal with the entire country or a restricted range of...
covering Paisley is Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West...
and the town accommodates the headquarters of the constabulary's K Division (Renfrewshire and Inverclyde) at Mill Street. Paisley is divided into four community policing areas: Paisley North-west (incorporating Linwood
Linwood
Linwood is a small town in Renfrewshire, Scotland, 14 miles south-west of Glasgow.Linwood is a commuter town, with proximity to Glasgow International Airport and the M8 motorway to Glasgow and Edinburgh...
and Glasgow International Airport), Paisley South-west (incorporating Elderslie
Elderslie
Elderslie is a village in the council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The village is situated midway between the nearby towns of Paisley and Johnstone....
), Paisley East and Ralston and Paisley South. For judicial purposes, the area forms part of the sheriffdom
Sheriffdom
A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland.Since 1 January 1975 there have been six sheriffdoms. Previously sheriffdoms were composed of groupings of counties...
of North Strathclyde and public prosecutions
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
are directed by the Procurator Fiscal
Procurator Fiscal
A procurator fiscal is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland , conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries and handle criminal complaints against the police A procurator fiscal (pl. procurators fiscal) is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They...
for Argyll and Clyde
Argyll and Clyde
Argyll and Clyde is a present area of operations for one of Scotland's Procurators Fiscal.It is also a former health board area. It consists of Argyll and Bute, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, western West Dunbartonshire, and western East Renfrewshire....
. There is a Sheriff Court
Sheriff Court
Sheriff courts provide the local court service in Scotland, with each court serving a sheriff court district within a sheriffdom.Sheriff courts deal with a myriad of legal procedures which include:*Solemn and Summary Criminal cases...
at Paisley, which occasionally houses sittings of Scotland's High Court of Justiciary
High Court of Justiciary
The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court of Scotland.The High Court is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal. As a court of first instance, the High Court sits mainly in Parliament House, or in the former Sheriff Court building, in Edinburgh, but also sits from time...
.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is the National Health Service
NHS Scotland
NHS Scotland is the publicly funded healthcare system of Scotland. Although they are separate bodies the organisational separation between NHS Scotland and the other three healthcare organisations each commonly called the National Health Service in the United Kingdom tends to be hidden from its...
Board serving Paisley and the town's main hospital with accident and emergency facilities is the Royal Alexandra Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital (Paisley)
The Royal Alexandra Hospital is the main hospital in Paisley serving a large catchment area as much as 200 000 from Renfrewshire, stretching all the way to Oban and Argyll The hospital is owned and run by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, previously NHS Argyll & Clyde...
. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue is the statutory fire and rescue service for the area of Strathclyde, Scotland. It is the largest fire and rescue service in Scotland, and one of the largest in Europe...
is the statutory fire and rescue service
Fire services in Scotland
Fire services in Scotland are provided by Fire and Rescue Services each under the control of a Fire and Rescue Authority or a joint fire board ....
covering Paisley, with one community fire station
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
on the town's Canal Street
Water
Water industry
The water industry provides drinking water and wastewater services to residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of the economy. The water industry includes manufacturers and suppliers of bottled water...
and sewerage
Sewerage
Sewerage refers to the infrastructure that conveys sewage. It encompasses receiving drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, screening chambers, etc. of the sanitary sewer...
is provided in Paisley by Scottish Water
Scottish Water
Scottish Water is a statutory corporation in Scotland that provides water and sewerage services. Unlike in England and Wales, water and sewerage provision in Scotland continues as a public corporation accountable to the public through the Scottish Government....
, a public body, and water and sewerage charges are collected alongside council tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
by Renfrewshire Council, the local authority, on its behalf. Renfrewshire Council is also responsible for the provision of waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
in the area. Paisley's Distribution Network Operator
Distribution Network Operator
Distribution network operators are companies licensed to distribute electricity in Great Britain by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets....
, the organisation licensed to transmit electricity from the National Grid to consumers, is Scottish Power
Scottish Power
ScottishPower Ltd. is a vertically integrated energy company with its headquarters in Glasgow, Scotland. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but in 2006 it became a subsidiary of the Spanish utility Iberdrola...
.
See also
- Castlehead, PaisleyCastlehead, PaisleyCastlehead is a district of Paisley in Scotland. It is a heavily wooded area of Victorian villas where many of Paisley’s most influential industrialists and professionals made their homes as a nineteenth-century industrial boom town became overcrowded....
- University of the West of Scotland
- Paisley Pipe BandPaisley Pipe BandPaisley Pipe Band is a pipe band which originates from Paisley, Scotland. The band wears the Blue Ramsay Tartan. Its most notable achievement was winning the World Pipe Band Championships and obtaining the title of Champion of Champions in 2001, in the Novice Juvenile Grade...
- Paisley canal disasterPaisley canal disasterThe Paisley canal disaster occurred on the 10 November 1810 on the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal, a canal linking Glasgow to Paisley and Johnstone in Renfrewshire, Scotland.-Family pleasure trip:...
- Paisley Witches
- Inkerman, Paisley
- Paisley (design)Paisley (design)Paisley or Paisley pattern is a droplet-shaped vegetable motif of Indian, Pakistani and Persian origin. The pattern is sometimes called "Persian pickles" by American traditionalists, especially quiltmakers,The Persian Pickle Club, Sandra Dallas. St. Martin's Press,...
- Paisley Grammar SchoolPaisley Grammar SchoolPaisley Grammar School, known for a period following 1896 as the Paisley Grammar School and William B. Barbour Academy, is a non-denominational state comprehensive secondary school in Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school was founded in 1576 and was formerly a selective...
- Castlehead High SchoolCastlehead High SchoolCastlehead High School is a state secondary school in the district Castlehead; town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in the West of Scotland, United Kingdom.-Sports:Castlehead is one of six Scottish Football Association Schools of Football...
- St Mirin's AcademySt Mirin's AcademySt Mirin's Academy was a Roman Catholic senior secondary school for boys founded in 1922 in Paisley, Scotland and dedicated to St Mirin, the patron saint of the town and of the Diocese of Paisley. The original buildings were located in East Buchanan Street next to St Mirin's Church. In 1933 the...
- GockstonGockstonGockston is a small housing estate in the north of Paisley across the M8 from Glasgow Airport. It is part of the St James estate along with Shortroods. The ground was weak and peat-filled until it was prepared for the Airport in the 1960s and the construction of houses was able to take...
- GallowhillGallowhillGallowhill is a housing estate in the north east of Paisley, a town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Its approximate boundaries are formed by the M8 motorway to the north, the A741 Renfrew Rd to the west, to the south the Inverclyde railway line with Arkleston Farm making up the estate's eastern border...
- Ralston