Paisley

Overview

Paisley is a town in Renfrewshire, eight miles west of Glasgow. It is the largest town in Scotland.

Paisley boasts an impressive collection of architectural gems, predominantly Victorian. A royal burgh from 1488, Paisley prospered on the textiles industry. Many of today's street names - Mill Street, Thread Street, Cotton Street - recall this illustrious past, which came to associate the name of Paisley world-wide with the distinctive Kashmiri teardrop pattern it mass-produced on shawls. The motif can be seen all over today's Paisley and throughout Renfrewshire, and a superb collection of shawls is on display at Paisley Museum and Art Galleries.

The story continues in nearby Kilbarchan at the Weaver's Cottage, where an 18th century handloom weaver's cottage has been fully restored. An essential stop is a visit to Paisley Abbey (the earliest parts of which date from 1163) for a truly breathtaking interior of stained glass and countless fascinating features, including the 10th century Celtic Cross of St Barochan. Also worth a stop is Thomas Coats Memorial Church (1894), known as 'the Baptist Cathedral of Europe' and Coats Observatory (1882) for displays on astronomy, seismology, astronautics and meteorology.