A series of pen & watercolour paintings of some of the town’s amazing architecture.

Inspiration

I was born and grew up in Paisley. For the first 4 years of my life I lived a stone’s throw away from the mills and a short walk from the town centre. Even from that early age I remember being fascinated by many of the old buildings in the town. Now, having drawn and painted them, I have a renewed admiration for the architecture and the craftsmanship of these amazing structures.

Paisley Abbey

Pen and watercolour.

The abbey dates back to the 12th century. Drawing and painting it gave me a renewed admiration for the architects and stonemasons, it’s an amazing structure. The inside is as beautiful as the outside, coloured shafts of sunlight spills across the pews and floor from the massive stained glass windows.

During a restoration project that took place in the early 1990s, a stonemason hired to replace twelve crumbling stone gargoyles erected one bearing a strong resemblance to the xenomorph from the 1979 horror/science fiction film Alien. A picture of the gargoyle went viral in 2013, though a photograph of the statue first surfaced on the internet in 1997.

Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist Church

Pen and watercolour.

Colloquially known as the Baptist Cathedral of Europe, stands at the west end of the High Street in Paisley, Scotland. It has been a dominant feature of the Paisley skyline for over 100 years with its striking crown steeple rising to 60 metres above the ground. 

Managed by the Coats Memorial Preservation Trust, the building was renovated between 2019-21 to transform the property's ample space and stunning gothic revival features into a multi-faceted, world-class event venue.

Today, Coats Paisley plays host to events of all kinds, from intimate weddings, proms and graduations, corporate events, and is available as a filming location for television and film. Most recently, the former church and its grounds were used for scenes from Season 5 of the historical drama Outlander.

Paisley Town Hall

Pen and watercolour.

Built at a cost of £50,000 and officially opened as the "George A. Clark Town Hall" on 30 January 1882. 

The north elevation featured two towers, pictured in this painting, the taller of which contained a clock. The chiming mechanism for the bells, which had ceased to function, was repaired in 1988.

In February 2019 proposals were announced to convert the town hall into a centre for performing arts. The works, which were to be carried out at a cost of £22 million, commenced in summer 2019.

John Neilson Institute

Pen and watercolour.

Affectionately-known locally as the Porridge Bowl, the building was funded by Paisley grocer John Neilson for the education of orphaned and impoverished boys. 

The building design is in the form of a Greek cross and was completed in 1852. The atrium was formerly the school assembly hall that gave access to 12 surrounding classrooms.

The school closed in 1968. Its 1993 conversion to 12 split-level apartments won a Saltire award for architecture.

The Russell Institute

Pen and watercolour.

Distinctive for its stone and bronze sculptures, the building was commissioned by Miss Agnes Russell to provide a child welfare clinic as a tribute to her two brothers. It opened in 1927 and until 2011 when it closed, the Russell Institute was used as a health centre.  

The category A listed building is one of Paisley's architectural treasures and its refurbishment and reuse has helped boost footfall in Paisley Town Centre. The building is now home to Skills Development Scotland and the Council's Invest in Renfrewshire employability team.

Anchor Mill

Pen and watercolour.

Sitting majestically on the banks of the River Cart, this building stands as testament to Paisley’s time as a global leader in the thread industry. 

The building was a former domestic finishing mill designed by architects Woodhouse and Morley in 1886. The Grade A-listed building, with its elegant arched windows and flame-red brick exterior, once played a pivotal role in the global cotton economy, but, owing to rapid industrial decline, closed in 1980.

The newly-restored Anchor Mill was opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2005 following an £11million refurbishment.

It continues to serve as a lucrative live-and-work space and remains an exquisite reminder of Paisley’s proud industrial past and forward-thinking future. 

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