Where to Stay in Paisley, Scotland

What is Paisley known for?

On the White Cart Water just west of Glasgow, it grew rich on its looms and thread, and it gave its name to a swirling teardrop pattern known the world over, and it keeps a great medieval abbey of the Stewart kings, the old weavers' cottages, and the vast thread mills of its industry. The abbey rises over the town. Old mills line the water.

What are the main landmarks in Paisley?

The great abbey stands at the heart of Paisley. The medieval abbey church by the White Cart, holding the tomb of a royal daughter of the Bruce, rises over the town, the emblem of the city, above the water. Old weavers' cottages stand nearby.

The little Sma' Shot Cottages keep the memory of the handloom weavers, while the thread-mill museum, the town museum, and the Saint Mirin cathedral mark the streets of Paisley.

What is the history of Paisley?

Paisley grew around a great abbey. A Cluniac abbey was founded by the river in the twelfth century, and it became a place of the Stewart family, whose line would take the Scottish throne, with a royal daughter of Robert the Bruce buried within its walls. The abbey made the town.

Around the church a burgh rose, and for centuries Paisley was known across Scotland for its abbey and its weavers. Thread and pattern made it famous. In the age of the looms the weavers of Paisley copied a swirling eastern design onto their shawls, and the town gave its name to the pattern for good, while its great mills spun thread that was sold around the world.

The looms fell silent in the end. Its mills closed as the trade moved on, but the town kept its abbey, its weavers' cottages, and its name on the pattern. The abbey still stands by the water.

Paisley keeps its abbey and its pattern by the Cart.

Where is Paisley?

Paisley lies in the west of Scotland, on the White Cart Water just southwest of Glasgow. The town spreads along the river where it runs down from the moors to the Clyde, at the edge of the great city, with low green hills and old country to the south and west. Green moors rise to the south.

The river runs on to the Clyde.

What is the climate of Paisley?

Paisley has a cool, wet climate of the Scottish west. Mild summers and cold winters cross the lowland, with rain through much of the year off the Atlantic and grey skies common. Rain falls soft on the moors.

The river runs full through the year.

How do you get to Paisley?

Paisley lies in the west of Scotland, just southwest of Glasgow. Trains and roads run to it from Glasgow in minutes, and the city's main airport lies close by. Roads run out to the moors and coast.

Glasgow lies just to the northeast.