Paisley (Renfrewshire)

Lat:55.844964 Lon: -4.426771

The town of Paisley is the administrative centre of Renfrewshire.

The settlement has monastic origins. The 6th and 7th Century Irish monk, Saint Mirin is said to have set up a chapel here. A priory was established in 1163 and then raised to the status of Abbey in 1245.

By 1488, the town had grown in size and importance enough to be made a burgh. Many trades started up. Weaving became increasingly important, dominating the town’s industry by the 19th Century.

The photograph shows New Street and the Bull Inn, at the time an old coaching inn and livery stable. The building was demolished in 1900, and a new, art nouveau Bull Inn built in the same spot in 1901.

Features of the area

• Town
• River
• Industry

Renfrewshire Group

Renfrewshire is one of Scotland’s 32 council areas.

Although Renfrewshire contains the traditional county town of Renfrew, from which its name derives, Paisley is the administrative centre and main settlement.

Renfrewshire is the successor of the former Renfrew District. It covers a slightly smaller area than its predecessor. Some of the district, including the towns of Barrhead, Neilston and Uplawmoor were transferred to the new East Renfrewshire area when Strathclyde Region was partitioned in 1996.

Renfrewshire borders Glasgow, North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire.

Elsewhere on the BBC

• BBC Glasgow and West Scotland

Elsewhere on the web

• Renfrewshire: Local and family history
• Paisley History
• Wikipedia entry on Paisley