Paisley

Administrative headquarters of Renfrewshire, Scotland, part of the Clydeside urban area, on the banks of the White Cart Water, 11 km/7 mi southwest of Glasgow; population (2001) 74,200. It is the largest town in Scotland. Industries include textiles and pharmaceuticals. It was an important centre for the manufacture of textiles, especially the woollen Paisley shawl, with a pattern based on the shape of a palm shoot.

The Paisley Museum and Art Gallery includes a collection of shawls. The 12th-century abbey was destroyed on the orders of Edward I of England in 1307, but was rebuilt after the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

A 15th-century decorated nave is almost all that remains of the old abbey, which has since served as a parish church. It was founded in 1163 by Walter Fitzalan as a Cluniac monastery, but was damaged during the Reformation. Paisley has a 16th-century grammar school and a university.

In the early 18th century the town was already noted for its manufacture of shawls, silk gauze, muslin, and linen. Near the town is Glasgow airport (Abbotsinch).