‘Paisley was the mills, and the mills were Paisley’
The year 2022 will be a significant year for the town of Paisley as its museum re-opens following an extensive refurbishment. There will be a wave of excitement as the eyes of the world can look at this latest development for the town. Some years ago there was a similar sense of excitement with the Paisley Thread Mill Museum and an interest in bringing to light the unique experiences of Paisley’s extensive thread mill and weaving industry. Evelyn Hood played a significant role in this renewed interest in the thread mills.
A lot has been written- and rightly so- about the Clarks and Coats families who came from ordinary beginnings to turn Paisley into a world-famous thread town during the 19th and 20th centuries. But the thousands of men and women who worked in the Anchor and Ferguslie mills have not received the recognition they deserve. As one contributor to the book ‘Mill Memories’ remarked in an aside, the sweat of the mill workers built the magnificent Coats Memorial Church and made the Clark and Coats families wealthy.
The ‘Mill Memories’ book is a celebration of these Paisley mill workers. Many have moved to other parts of the world and many have become involved with other areas of work, but even so, they have never forgotten their mill days and are still in close contact with the friends they made there. As one contributor said, ‘In those days, Paisley was the mills, and the mills were Paisley.’
‘Mill Memories’ was published by Greenlaw Graphics, Paisley, in conjunction with the Paisley Thread Mill Museum committee which was formed in 1995 for the purpose of setting up a museum to commemorate the two giant thread mills that contributed to the textile history of Paisley.
This book represented a change of direction in Evelyn’s writing, as it was a depiction of what life was like for the people who worked in the mills, so it was stories as told by those who actually worked in the mills. This involved Evelyn’s research skills to locate people who were willing and able to spend time being interviewed about their time at the mill. It took a lot of time to have enough information to put together for the book; remember, this is before the internet and smart phones had become a normality for many of us.
Along with the memories of those who lived in the mills, there are many photographs printed in the book. The proceeds were used to launch the Paisley Thread Mill Museum, spearheaded by Ellen Farmer OBE. Evelyn, Ellen and a small team worked tirelessly for many months to bring about the reality of the museum. Paisley’s rich mill history was being brought back to life from the memories and personal lives of those who had spent their working lives inside those massive buildings, making all the machinery come alive and weave Paisley into the forefront of this immense industry.
The book and the museum bring the mills to life for those of us who have not been fortunate enough to experience them for ourselves, and to help make sure that such a great legacy and its people are celebrated and not forgotten.
Simon & Evelyn Hood