Paisley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Paisley Pàislig |
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| Population | 74,170 (2001 Census) |
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| Council area | Renfrewshire |
| Constituent country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PAISLEY |
| Postcode district | PA1 , PA2 & PA3 |
| Dial code | 0141 & 01505 |
| Vehicle code | SA-SJ (Glasgow) |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| European Parliament | Scotland |
| Website: paisley.org.uk | |
| List of places: UK • Scotland | |
Paisley (Scottish Gaelic: Pàislig) is a town and former burgh located in the west central lowlands of Scotland. Approximately eight miles west-south-west of Glasgow. It is the administrative centre of the Renfrewshire council area. Straddling the River Cart, the settlement occupies the lowland to the north of the Gleniffer Braes.
In the 12th century an Abbey was founded at Paisley. A settlement soon grew around the Abbey. The town became famous during the 18th and 19th centuries for the production of cloth, especially cotton with the distinctive Paisley Pattern.
Paisley is the largest town in Scotland,[1] not counting the four largest cities, and therefore the fifth-largest settlement in the country, having greater population than Inverness or Stirling, which both have city status.
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[edit] Etymology
Formerly known as Paislay[citation needed], 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', (ie. major church), itself derived from the Greek 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.
[edit] History
Paisley has monastic origins, due to a site near a waterfall, where a chapel is said to have been established by the 7th century (?) Irish monk, Saint Mirin. It may have been a major religious centre of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, along with Glasgow and Govan. Though Paisley lacks contemporary documentation. A Cluniac priory was established in 1163 by Walter Fitz Alan (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 generaly accepted that William Wallace the great hero of Scottish independence who inspired the film Braveheart was educated here and King Robert III (1390-1406) was buried in the Abbey. His tomb has not survived, but that of Princess Marjorie Bruce (1296-1316), ancestress 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, the first school was established in 1577 by the Town Council. By the mid-nineteenth century weaving had become the town's main industry. Paisley is still very well-known for the Paisley Shawl and its distinctive Paisley Pattern which originated around this time.
Through its weaving fraternity, Paisley gained notoriety as being a literate and somewhat radical town, although it could be argued in a fiercely positive direction. By this time there was a real mixture of religious opinions and healthy drink-fuelled 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.
[edit] Industry
Originally famous for its weaving and thread industries, these declined in the later 20th century. The industry has left a permanent mark on the town in the form of the many place names with weaving related names. For Example, Cotton Street, Thread Street, Shuttle Street, Lawn Street, Silk Street and Incle Street.
[edit] Architecture
[edit] Paisley Abbey
The West of the building provides and example of original Gothic architecture dating to the 12th Centrury. The East end and tower date to the late 19th and early 20th Centuries and are examples Gothic Revival architecture.
[edit] Other Notable Buildings
The 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 high. Opened in 1894 and designed by Hippolyte Jean Blanc.[2] 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.
St. Matthew's Church is built in the Art Noveau style. Designed by local architect W. D. McLennan, a contemporary of Charles Rennie MacIntosh, it was built in 1906.
The Russell Institute was built in 1926.[3] The “A”[4] listed Anchor Mill (built 1886)[5] was converted, in 2005, into modern apartments. The building is an example of successful redevelopment of old industrial areas.#
Paisley Civic Centre was built in the 1960s to house the Renfrewshire county offices. It was intended to become the civic hub for Paisley but the absence of any shops and non-council premises prevented this from happening.[6] 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.
[edit] Education
In 1992, Paisley Central Institution (founded 1896) became University of Paisley which plans to merge with Bell College to refound as The University of The West of Scotland in 2008. The town also contains Reid Kerr College which provides Further Education. There are four 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 1586.
[edit] Culture and Leisure
Paisley is the home of PACE Theatre Company, the largest youth theatre company in both Scotland and the UK.
[edit] Media
Paisley has various types of Media including TV stations like BBC Scotland and STV and radio stations like 96.3 Rock Radio originally Q96. Paisley also has a daily newspaper called Paisley Daily Express. The main offices are located on New Street in the town centre of Paisley.
- Radio Stations (National and Local)
- Clyde 1
- XFM Scotland
- Real Radio
- 96.3 Rock Radio, available in Paisley, Renfrewshire and Glasgow
- FPR, On Air Seasonally
- TV Stations (National)
- Newspapers (Local)
[edit] Sport
St Mirren F.C., the local Paisley Scottish Premier League football team, have been given planning permission to move to a new 10,000 seat stadium from their home on the town's Love Street, to one located on Greenhill Road to help regenerate the deprived Ferguslie Park area. Their last major success was on 16 May 1987[7] when St Mirren won the Scottish Cup, with thousands crowding the streets to see the team.
In (2006), the team won the Scottish Football League First Division and has returned to the Scottish Premier League. They have a very active youth development system and are part of the social fabric of the town. This was demonstrated when at a Renfrewshire Council planning committee board meeting on the new stadium and supermarket to replace Love Street came to be heard. With the initial recommendation that St. Mirren be denied permission for the supermarket but allowed the stadium, something that threatened the future of the club due to the supermarket being only solution to clear its debts, some 300[citation needed] buddies stood outside the final meeting of Renfrewshire Council in Cotton Street on a dry Tuesday Morning in support. The club was granted permission at this meeting with a majority vote of 9-5[citation needed] in favour.
Paisley also has two cricket grounds by the name of Kelburne Cricket Club and Ferguslie Cricket Club. Both cricketers Majid Haq and Omer Hussain, Scottish internationalist cricketers have played for both Kelburne and currently play for Ferguslie Cricket Club.
[edit] Shopping
Paisley used to be a main destination for shopping in Renfrewshire. In recent years the variety of shopping has declined with many larger shops relocating to the near-by Braehead. There are two main shopping centres in Paisley: The Paisley Centre is a three floored centre including a department store, an indoor market and over 50 shopping units. The Piazza is the closest rival to The Paisley Centre, with household names like New Look, Mackays and Carphone Warehouse.
[edit] Transport
[edit] Air
Glasgow International Airport's terminal buildings are located in the north of Paisley at Abbotsinch.
[edit] Road
Paisley is connect to the UK motoway network with the M8 running along the northern edge of the town.
[edit] Rail
The town is linked by rail to Glasgow city centre as well as Inverclyde and Ayrshire coast, being served by four stations (Paisley Gilmour Street, Paisley St James, Paisley Canal and Hawkhead). The rail links also connect to Glasgow Prestwick International Airport and ferry routes to the Dunoon, the Isle of Arran, Isle of Bute and Ireland.
There are plans in place, and Royal Assent has been given, for a rail link from the Inverclyde Line to Glasgow International Airport, planned for completion in 2009, with services starting in 2010.
[edit] Bus
Bus routes connect to other nearby towns and Glasgow City. The town benefits from some of the best transport links in the central belt of Scotland.
[edit] Areas of Paisley
Castlehead, Paisley, situated to the southwest of the centre of the town, is a wooded area of Victorian villas where many of the town's leading industrialists made their homes in the late 19th century. It is a conservation area.
Thornly Park is located to the south of the town. The area is classed as a conservation area with many examples of various architecture ranging from Tudor to Art Deco. Many of the houses were designed by W. D. McLennan who also designed several local churches such as Saint Matthews.
The town is surrounded by several large residential areas that were created after the Housing Act of 1946. These include Glenburn (south), Foxbar (south west), Ferguslie Park (north west), Gallowhill (North East) and Hunterhill (South East). Ferguslie Park was named by the Scottish Executive's most deprived area in 2006.[8]
Nearer the centre of the town remains many areas of older housing. 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.
[edit] Famous Residents - Past and Present
The common slang term for a person from Paisley is a Buddie. Some well known Buddies are Jacqui Lait MP, Colin Campbell MSP, Kenyon Wright, Fred Goodwin – CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland and Alistair Forsyth the European tour golfer.
Paul McGillion, born in Paisley on January 5, 1969 famous for Stargate Atlantis, playing Dr Carson Beckett.
John Wilson, the maternal great-grandfather of US President Ronald Reagan, was born in Paisley in 1812. The former President visited Paisley in 1991 and attended a service at Castlehead church, where some of his Scottish ancestors were married and are buried.
The prominet Scottish lawyer Ian Hamilton QC who was responsible for repatraitiing the [[stone of destiny00 on Christmas day 1950 was born and educated in Paisley.
Journalist and broadcaster Andrew Neil was educated at Paisley Grammar School.
James P. Kinnon, commonly known as Jimmy Kinnon or "Jimmy K.", was born in Paisley in 1911, arrived with his family on Ellis Island, New York, in 1923, and died in California in 1985. Co-founder of Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
John Witherspoon, born in Gifford, East Lothian but lived in Paisley for a large part of his adult life, he left to take up a post at Princeton University in America. He was one of the founding fathers of the American Constitution. He is remembered by a statue at Paisley University, and is also dedicated by have a street in the Town Centre close to the university, Witherspoon Street, named in his honour.
David Tennant, formerly known as David MacDonald, born in Bathgate but educated in Paisley at Ralston Primary and Paisley Grammar School. Famous for his roles as Casanova and Doctor Who.
Robert Tannahill (June 3, 1774 - May 17, 1810) was a Scottish poet known as the "Paisley Poet".
Paul Telfer, who has appeared in several mini series, including the 2005 film Hercules in the title role.
Paolo Nutini, born in Paisley in 1987 famous for his top 10 charting album, 'These Streets'. His parents own the local chippy Castelvecchi which is well known for its half pizza supper. Educated at St Andrew's Academy in Dykebar
Alexander Wilson, born in Paisley, Scotland in 1766. Worked as a weaver and itinerant peddler. Immigrated to the United States in 1794. Became a Naturalist and Pioneer. His nine-volumne work "American Ornithology" was published in 1808-1814, illustrated 268 bird species, including descripitions of 26 new speciees. He met John James Audubon in 1810 and that meeting probably inspired Audubon to publish his own book on birds. He also influenced many later artists and ornithologists. He died in 1813. His last volume was published after his death. He is considered the Father of American Ornithology.
Gerard Butler, born in Glasgow, but after spending the first 18 months of his life in Canada, he grew up in his mother's home town of Paisley. He has starred in the second Tomb Raider movie, Timeline, Dear Frankie, and the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera (in the lead role). He now divides his time between London and New York.
Thomas Conti, commonly known as Tom Conti was born in Paisley.Gordon McRory also known as Mince Fratelli is a Scottish musician more commonly known as the drummer for Scottish indie Band The Fratellis was born in Paisly.
[edit] Twinned Towns and Cities
[edit] Paisley in Popular Culture
The Iain Banks novel, Espedair Street takes its name from, and is partly set in and around the streets of Paisley.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 2001 Census Data - Population 74,170. Smaller than that of Glasgow, Edinbrugh, Aberdeen and Dundee, but greater than that of East Kilbride (pop 73,796).
- ^ http://www.fenet.co.uk/coats/arch.htm
- ^ http://www.paisley.org.uk/history/russell.php
- ^ http://www.architecturescotland.co.uk/practices/portfolio/33/Refurbishment_%26_Conversion_of_the_Domestic_Finishing_Mill%2C_Anchor_Mills%2C_Paisley
- ^ http://www.princes-regeneration.org/index.php?n=PT.AnchorMills
- ^ The South Clyde Estuary (1986) by Frank Arneil Walker, RIAS Publishing
- ^ http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?curpageid=551
- ^ BBC News, "Scotland reveals most deprived areas", October 2006
[edit] External links
