With a population of 70000, Paisley is Scotland's largest town. Nicole and I once came through to the farmers market as her friend was running a stall. Other than that, my only other trip to Paisley was for a football match way back in 1989. I'd had a return visit on my radar for a while as I'd identified a railway path running through Renfrewshire down to Kilbirnie just across the Ayrshire boundary. I earmarked the 4-mile section of old trackbed to the town of Johnstone as a useful first leg. This would also give me ample time to explore Paisley itself and have a look around Johnstone. Off I headed on a bright Sunday morning at the tail end of February. Cairneyhill to Glasgow by bus then the short walk to Central Station to catch a train to Paisley Gilmour Street. I reached my destination before 10 o'clock.
Leaving the station, I noticed the grand former Post Office building now operating as a Wetherspoons pub. Two years ago I would have resolved to stop for a pint on the way back. In fact, I would probably have planned a visit in advance as I was always an admirer of 'Spoons conversions of old banks, cinemas etc. Even more so in a place like this that doesn't have a stellar reputation for cask ale provision. But I haven't set foot inside Wetherspoons since the pandemic as I didn't like the way owner Tim Martin regarded his staff as being completely disposable. I'm not saying it's a lifelong boycott, but I'm certainly giving the establishments a wide berth these days. Paisley has plenty history to absorb in its town centre and I wanted to take some of this in before locating the railway path which begins at Canal Street Station. Plus, the sun was out and I had the opportunity to take some nice photos. A short stroll brought me to to cenotaph which features a mounted crusader atop a 25-feet high granite pillar. Unveiled in 1924, the 20,000 onlookers would not have known that extra names would have to be inscribed on war memorials across the land a couple of decades henceforth. As I write, the grim prospect of WW3 is unfolding following Russia's full-scale invasion of the Ukraine. At the moment, the conflict is confined to that area but it has developed along the lines of surely they won't do this, such a move would be a step too far, no I can't see that happening...and so forth. But the Russian war machine rolls on and will Vladimir Putin really reach the point where he declares ok that's it, I'll just halt right here. That's not how these guys tick, especially if they've had a run of early, largely unchallenged successes. Let's hope a resolution can be found before it's too late. The White Cart Water flows through the centre of Paisley and the pleasant Dunn Square sits on the western bank, with the town hall and abbey (pictured above) on the other side. A number of statues and memorials can be found in the square.
Paisley Abbey's origins date back to the 12th century but by 1800 the buildings had fallen into serious disrepair. A restoration programme was launched in mid Victorian times that continued almost up until the present day. The modern church is an attractive landmark fully deserving of its prime riverside location. An imposing statue of Queen Victoria stands in Dunn Square but my eyes were drawn to a much smaller sculpture showing a small child clutching a doll. This was the memorial for the Glen Cinema tragedy that occurred in 1929 and resulted in the deaths of 71 children. Hundreds of youngsters were packed in to see a Hogmanay matinee when a film cannister accidentally caught fire in the projection room. Although this was quickly extinguished, clouds of smoke billowed into the auditorium and provoked mass panic and a stampede towards the exits. Sadly, the fire doors were designed to open inwards which led to bodies piling up behind them and emergency services were unable to break through without great difficulty. There are also reports suggesting some of the escape routes were padlocked. Most of the casualties were recorded as having died from asphyxia by crushing. Safety regulations were tightened in the wake of the disaster and many local authorities introduced compulsory inspections of cinemas. The Cinematograph Act 1909 was amended to ensure picture houses had sufficient exits that opened outwards and fitted with push bars. A limitation was also placed on the seating capacity. None of this brought the dead back but it is important that lessons are learned from such events. Incredibly, similar issues were partly responsible for the death toll at the Bradford football stadium fire some 60 years down the line. I paid my respects quietly and moved on.
Paisley - along with other parts of 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. The introduction of mechanised looms led to the establishment of larger mills and the traditional cottage weavers were forced out of business. The town specialised in the production of cotton sewing thread and the BBC made an excellent recent documentary about this process, entitled The Town That Thread Built. By the 1950s, the industry had diversified into the making of synthetic threads but production diminished rapidly as a result of cheaper imports from overseas and the establishment of mills in India and Brazil. A majestic leftover from the manufacturing days is the Anchor Mills block on the banks of the White Cart Water. It can be regarded as a rare and spectacular survivor of the 19th-century glory days of Scotland’s international, entrepreneurial and manufacturing history. Restored in the early 2000s and converted to luxury apartments, this A-listed building is testament to Paisley’s time as a global leader in the thread industry. Completed in 1886, the domestic finishing mill ceased to function in the late 1980s and progressively fell into a serious state of dereliction by reason of neglect, vandalism and the extreme effects of the Scottish climate to the extent that total demolition became a realistic concern. Plans were put forward in 1995 to save the iconic building and find a sustainable use. It certainly looks impressive set against the tumbling White Cart rapids and is a must-see for visitors with even the slightest interest in the Industrial Revolution. Frustratingly, the sun was streaming straight into my camera lens as I attempted a photograph and I firmly resolved to try again later in the day. From here, I wandered through the streets towards Paisley Canal Station. A branch line from the Glasgow direction currently terminates here but the tracks formerly continued towards a junction near Johnstone along the path I would shortly be walking upon. Passenger services at Paisley Canal ceased in 1983, only to be reinstated seven years later from Glasgow Central. A slightly different location was chosen for a new station as the original site was occupied by a restaurant. No onward service provision was ever introduced and I proceeded to join the tarmac strip that led out of town where the railway had once been.
I passed what I presumed to be the scant remains of Paisley West Station and followed the gently contouring trackbed. It was a beautiful day for walking, albeit a cold one. Old railway lines usually offer a pleasing contrast being urban and rural terrain and it's my favourite way to wander. The path took me to the site of a former junction near the village of Elderslie. At this point the Paisley Canal route joined today's main line to Ayr. This busy meeting of railways once boasted a four platform station. I walked alongside the current line for a few hundred yards before passing through part of Elderslie and picking up another old trackbed that looped around the north of Johnstone and split into branches for Greenock via Bridge of Weir and Kilbirnie along the western shore of Castle Semple Loch. The latter route met the present Ayr line at a junction south of Kilbirnie. It takes quite a bit of time studying online OS maps to untangle all of this!
I crossed the Black Cart Water on a high bridge affording a nice view of the rapids below. Eventually I hit the far end of Johnstone and I was able to cut through a supermarket car park and take a pedestrian walkway above the river, linking the store to the town centre. I located the High Street and found a spot in Houstoun Square to enjoy my packed lunch. An elaborate fountain stood nearby but was unfortunately disconnected. There was also a fine cast iron bandstand. After eating, I had a look at a couple of information boards in order to learn about the town's history. It began life in the late 18th century as a planned settlement by a bridge across the Black Cart Water. The current was sufficiently strong to provide power for industrial machinery and the population rapidly topped 5500. Today it stands at around three times that figure. One paragraph on the text panel took me by surprise. The Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal was mentioned. I hadn't been aware of such a waterway. The clue had obviously been evident in Paisley Canal Station but I had subconsciously assumed this reference was local to the town. I was obviously now reading about a far bigger project.
The cogs in my brain were now spinning faster than any waterwheel. If there had been a lengthy canal in this area, why hadn't I noticed any evidence on my walk? Had I failed to spot the tell-tale signs? Was the old watercourse now completely filled in? Where were the bridges, cuttings and embankments associated with major civil engineering works? The answer of course had lain under my feet all along and explained the curving nature of the path. The canal was converted to a railway line in the 1880s when it became clear the original objective of reaching the port of Ardrossan by barge would never be achieved. Moreover, the River Clyde had by this time been dredged to enable heavy shipping to sail right up to the city of Glasgow. A half-built canal was surely doomed and laying down the rail tracks was probably a way of salvaging some of the original investment. Excavation of the waterway had begun in 1807 and the first section was operational three years later. The route never got past Johnstone and a proposed link-up with the Forth & Clyde Canal never progressed past the talking stage. A railway solution was proposed to fill the gap to the coast but this proved abortive. No further funding was forthcoming and an 1881 Act of Parliament permanently closed the Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal. By 1885, trains were running upon the route but the curvature of the track prohibited high speed operations. No doubt this helped confine the railway to backwater status and as it effectively provided a duplicate connection between Paisley and Johnstone, the axe was always liable to fall. Well, that was a whole chapter of Scottish industrial history I hadn't bargained for. The information panel also mentioned the historic Paton's Mill at the far end of the High Street. I went in search of this building but found only a gap site. An online article confirmed the mill had been scheduled for demolition following a spate of fires. Never mind. I then decided to walk the half mile to Johnstone Castle.
Now a private residence, the tower house dates back to the 16th century and was extended to become a fine mansion. Esteemed composer Frederick Chopin visited during a tour of Britain in 1848. The wider estate lands were gradually sold off as the 20th century arrived and the last laird died in 1931. Military requisition during WW2 provided a stay of execution but the castle's days looked numbered after the hostilities as the state of repair became ever more precarious. The additions to the original tower were demolished in 1950 and the town council purchased the remaining grounds in 1956 in order to create a modern housing scheme. Half a century ticked by until a buyer was found for the now crumbling tower but successful restoration has resulted in a beautiful family home that is now afforded B-listed protection. By this time I had decided to take the train back to Paisley. My starting intention had been to walk both ways but I had already used up time wandering around the towns and I wanted to have another look at the Paisley Anchor Mills and pick up a couple of items from the shopping centre. I had already clocked up a good five miles in total and that was enough exercise for the day. The road from Johnstone Castle back towards the town centre conveniently passed the railway station and within ten minutes I was hurtling back towards Paisley. At one time there had been another station called Johnstone North on the railway path I had walked today. Intriguingly, the current national rail database refers to Johnstone (Strathclyde) or Johnstone (Renfrewshire). This suggests there is another place of the same (or very similar) name, somewhere in the UK. To test my theory, I typed the station into the Trainline website and found reference to Johnston (Pembrokeshire). As an aside, Trainline is a third-party site and an excellent place to source service times and ticket prices, but each booking carries a 50p transaction fee. This surcharge can be avoided by purchasing directly from franchise operators such as Scot Rail. I wonder how many people fail to notice this little levy by Trainline. They must be raking it in! As I rolled into Paisley Gilmour Street, I checked Google Maps for directions to the Fountain Gardens.
A five-minute stroll brought me to a green space with a stunning Victorian fountain at its centre. And this time the water was switched on! Opened in 1886, the Fountain Gardens is the oldest public park in Paisley - a gift from sewing thread magnate Thomas Coats. He purchased the former private estate and and installed a geometric layout of paths, all of which lead to the 8.5 metre tall A-listed fountain (one of only three such examples in Scotland). The fountain received a much needed restoration in 2013 and the gleaming walruses, crocodiles, dolphins, herons and cherubs provide life sized decoration. I stood and admired the structure which had jets of water shooting out from all manner of sources and then took a stroll around the parkland - which also features a fine late-Victorian statue of national bard Robert Burns. He is shown in period dress, leaning against a plough with pen in hand, reflecting his two occupations. The only blemish was the graffiti defacing the public informational panels. A barely legible scrawl stating someone was a "beast" - honestly, the things some people obsess about! The only words that came to mind were who on earth does this? Spoiling part of a beautiful area that was created to benefit all residents and visitors. Sadly, Scotland has its share of folk who take no pride whatsoever in their surroundings. I walked back through the station and down to the mill building. This time the sun was more favourably positioned and I snapped a decent photo. I followed the banks of the White Cart back towards the town centre and was rewarded with an excellent view of the town hall standing on the water's edge. Paisley is of course the traditional county town of Renfrewshire but the Council Area of the same name has its headquarters in a modern set of buildings across from the Abbey. The administrative council covers only part of historic Renfrewshire, with other organisations known as East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde taking up the slack. Palatial buildings from a bygone age aren't necessarily suitable for providing modern local government services so it's pleasing to hear the town hall is currently undergoing refurbishment and slated to re-emerge as a performing arts centre in 2023.
Millions of pounds are being spent on the A-listed architectural gem that opened for business in 1882. Aside from the 1200 capacity main interior hall, unused spaces are being brought back into use and new rooms created including a dance studio, café-bar with terrace, screening room, revamped reception area and more - allowing the building to host a wider range of events. I made my way back to Gilmour Street and caught a train to Glasgow Central. I had been mightily impressed with the heritage on display in Paisley, truly befitting our biggest town. Combining a railway walk with a healthy dose of historical facts and grand buildings always guarantees a good day out. Particularly when the sun shines. There are further sections of the old trackbed to explore and no doubt more of Renfrewshire's chequered past will reveal itself. I am keenly anticipating that!
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