Back to our Roots 3 - Paisley

[cessna152towser]

I was born and brought up in Paisley, about a hundred miles away from the town where I now live. This is a panoramic view of Paisley, from the Gleniffer Braes lying to the south of the town. Paisley grew around its 12th century abbey, established seven miles west of Glasgow, and by the start of the industrial revolution had already expanded to a town of 5,000 people. Paisley became famous for handloom weaving and the manufacture of Paisley shawls and later, when the mills came, for the making of thread. Three of my grandparents were from Paisley families (the other one was Irish) and my ancestors, Cunninghams, Gardners, Gilchrists, Hamiltons, McNairs, McLeods and Wallaces were invariably handloom weavers or shawl makers in the late 1700's, and in the 19th century many worked in the thread mills in the making or dying of thread. Today the town has a population of around 100,000 and forms part of the sprawling greater Glasgow conurbation with modern shopping malls, new road layouts, and suburbs of modern housing, but if you look carefully there are still plenty of buildings which would have been familiar to my ancestors. Indeed within the water feature in the right of the photo above, Stanely reservoir, you can just discern the ruins of Stanely Castle.

The poet Robert Tannahill (1774-1810) was born in nearby Castle Street but lived in this cottage in Queen Street from early infancy until his death.

West End Cross. As the Cunningham name originated just a few miles from here it is not unusual to find businesses bearing the same name as my own family.

My old school, the John Neilson, opened in 1852. This is top school which housed twelve classrooms and the headmaster's office, and has now been converted to private residential apartments.

Outside the school at Oakshaw Head. The Paisley landscape features a number of ice age drumlins such as Oakshaw, and I recall being let out of class to view the launch of the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth II from here. Today the growth of trees means the view is more restricted.

The remainder of the school buildings, further down the hill and known as middle school has been demolished and is now a derelict area.

Orr Square church, where I was once an active member has suffered a similar fate, being converted to private housing with the grounds protected by an electronic gate and this was as close as I could get.

The church manse in Oakshaw Street (yellow building) still survives, though no longer in Church of Scotland ownership. Beyond it is the dome of Coats Observatory, opened in 1884.
More to come shortly.

[cessna152towser]

The buildings at the top end of High Street, with the Greek Thomson facade comprise the town's library and museum. The museum features a magnificent collection of old looms and Paisley shawls and features a large scale tile map of the town as it was in 1839, which you can walk over. Buildings which still exist are highlighted and the map is an excellent way of unscrambling those old addresses for ancestors found in census records as many of the old streets no longer exist.

Across the road from the museum there is a large kilt shop, with another equally large basement floor.

Claims to be the only kilt shop in the world where you can view every tartan.
I've got this addiction real bad - I didn't come out again until I had ordered two new tanks - a Wallace Hunting Modern from House of Edgar and a Paisley from Marton Mills, both 17 oz weight with teflon coating for protection against spills.

Paisley's statue of Robert Burns is situated in the Fountain Gardens.

The bard is depicted with his plough

My great grandmother Jane Fleming was born in Wishaw. Orphaned at an early age, she came to Paisley, where her mother had been born, and census records show her living in lodgings in Love Street and working as a shawl maker prior to her marriage to Alexander Cunningham in 1884. This group of old buildings in Love Street would have been familiar to her.

For many years she and her husband and family lived at 19, School Wynd, and their unmarried daughter, my father's aunt, continued to live there for a further thirty years after their death. Their home was a flat within this building, now used as offices. School Wynd is a back lane, running parallel to and slightly higher than High Street and the ground floor of this building forms a shop accessed from High Street.
More to follow shortly.

[cessna152towser]

School Wynd. When I lived in Paisley I never wore a kilt. The Freedom kilt went unnoticed in Paisley apart from one lady who approached me while I was taking photos and asked me about it. I told her it was a cargo kilt with pockets so I didn't need a sporran and it was made in Canada. She replied well you certainly have the legs for it and you should be able to catch plenty of red indians with it.

My great grandparents would still recognise School Wynd. The old grammar school buildings date from 1802 and the Middle Church from around the same date.

There is another old church in the fork where Oakshaw Street branches from School Wynd and heads up to the right towards the top of the drumlin.

I had lunch at an outdoors table at this cafe at the lower end of School Wynd. Beyond it is yet another church, Oakshaw Trinity.

Church Hill, leading up to the High Church, which dates from 1754.
More to follow shortly.

[cessna152towser]

I have posted this picture of Paisley Abbey before but no thread about old Paisley would be complete without a picture of its oldest building.

Thomas Coats Memorial church

This baronial style building next to Thomas Coats Memorial church was once the army headquarters for the town but is now empty and for sale.

The Town Hall dates from the late 19th century.

In my youth, Paisley had eight cinemas, all now closed. The facade of the old Picture House survives, but behind it now is a new shopping mall.
More to come shortly.

[McClef]

Great photos Alex!

Thanks for the tour - everyone has heard of the toon but probably few have been there.

Some great architecture and Houston's looks worthy of a closer look - have seen some of their video presentations.

[cessna152towser]

Among a new street layout and shopping mall I came across the surviving Laigh Kirk, now in use as an arts centre.

Shuttle Street with yet another old church, now used as apartments at the far end of the street. The single storey white building, number 14, is an old weaver's cottage.

One of the best surviving groups of weavers' cottages, the Sma Shot Cottages date from the 18th century.

From the same era, this building dated 1770 survives in Wellmeadow Street.

My McNair ancestors lived in Espedair Street during the 19th century. My great grandfather William McNair was a journeyman dyer. It was getting dark by the time I arrived there to find that the address where they stayed now consisted of more modern buildings. A few yards along the street though I found this group of houses dated 1835 with which they would have been familiar.

I was born in Westlands Nursing Home, Paisley. The building has long ago been demolished and the grounds are occupied by a modern housing development. Happily one of the old gateposts has been left in place, with the name Westlands carved into its stone.

The statue of St. Mirin

I conclude the Paisley photos with this night shot of the floodlit St. Mirin's (RC) Cathedral.

[pdcorlis]

Thanks for posting all the great photos in your "roots" series and congratulations - you have just earned your photography merit badge.

[gilmore]

Thanks once again for sharing these photos with us. Red Indians, indeed

You are so fortunate that your ancestors lived nearby. Most of us here in the US would have to travel for days to see where ours lived.

[O'Neille]

What a great tour! I'd like to wander around there for a while.

[Sheep In Wolf's Clothing]

I have Paisley on my list of places to visit in Scotland when that day should ever arrive. Your photo essay has now bumped it up a few places on the list.
Thanks for the great photos!
Sara