Paisley
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a municipal and parliamentary burgh of Scotland, in Renfrew- PALACIO VALDÉS shire, on the White Cart, about 3 miles above the confluence of the united White and Black Cart with the Clyde, and 7 miles W. S. W. of Glasgow. It consists of an old town on the W. or left, and a new town on the E. or right bank of the river, communicating by three handsome bridges. The most noteworthy building is the Abbey Church, now a parish church, belonging to a monastery ( of which little else now remains) founded in 1163 by Walter, son of Alan, the first of the house of the Stewarts ts.. In 1889 a monument was erected by Queen Victoria in memory of her ancestors buried here. In St. Mirren's Chapel or the Sounding Aisle, on the S. side, stands a tomb supposed to have been built in honor of Bruce's daughter Marjory. Paisley has been long noted for its manufactures, especially of textile goods. The shawl manufacture, introduced about the beginning of the 19th century, and long a flourishing industry, is not now a staple, but the textile manufacture is still large, and to it has been added that of sewing cotton, for which Paisley is celebrated all over the world. Among the other manufactures are tapestry, embroidery, tartans, and carpets. There are also dye and print works, engineering works, soap works, manufacstarch, starch, corn flour. ur. mustard, musta and chemicals; disti distilleries, breweries, and shin shipbuilding yards, chiefly for river steamers and dredgers. Wilson, the ornithologist; the poet Tannahill, and Professor Wilson (Christopher North) were natives of Paisley, which possesses a bronze statue of the ornithologist and of the poet. Paisley is a town of ancient origin, having been at one time a Roman station under the name of Vanduara. Pop. estimated (1918) 89,425.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's in 1921 named 89,425 people and "sewing cotton, for which Paisley is celebrated all over the world"; the town's thread industry has since gone. J. & P. Coats' great Ferguslie and Anchor mills wound down through the later 20th century, thread-making in Paisley ending in the early 1990s, and the shipbuilding yards for river steamers and dredgers have closed too; the population is now nearer 77,000. What survives is the name: the Paisley pattern, born of the shawl trade Collier's says was already no longer a staple, remains a standard term in textiles worldwide. Paisley Abbey still serves as a parish church and was extensively restored, while the town is now home to the University of the West of Scotland and mounted a well-publicised bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021.
Written for this edition, 2026.