Paisley - My Pics Of Old Or Unusual Buildings Or Places Of Interest.

[bluto]

OK

I googled Milne and Paisley and got this:

THAT's St Mirin's Academy to me.

ETA: I LEFT PAISLEY SOME TIME AGO.

Edited March 28, 2013 by bluto

[Eddy]

That's a picture of the building that Sonny took but it most definitely IS NOT ST MIREN'S.

Edit: ahem, or St Mirin's :-)

Edited March 28, 2013 by Eddy

[Eddy]

........I should add that it's never been known as St Mirren's - I spend my early years in this building, but I believe it was once a Junior Secondary?

Edit: St Mirin's is shown here

Edited March 28, 2013 by Eddy

[Tony A]

OK

I googled Milne and Paisley and got this:

THAT's St Mirin's Academy to me.

ETA: I LEFT PAISLEY SOME TIME AGO.

St. Mirin's Academy was flattened. It's not there anymore. The building in that picture is still there though. Here to help...

[Vambo57]

Its the neighbour of the Beast

[Sonny]

Even the Listed Buildings site for this building has it tagged wrongly to another building. And it certainly isn't St Mirins but the cryptic clues are interesting even if I struggle with them and I usually know what the building is!

[Eddy]

I agree Sonny - I like it when the clues are not too easy!

I'm pretty sure Bluto is going to kick himself when he figures out what this building is as I'm sure it's came up as an wrong answer earlier in this thread & I was sure he would know it- I think he's just having a 'senior moment'!

Interestingly it was built by Thomas Hutchison who once had an apprentice called T.G. Abercrombie - I'm beginning to wonder if we can connect him in some way or another to every Listed building in the town!

Edited March 29, 2013 by Eddy

[pod]

Beside Abercorn School and it was called 'The Special Classes School'

New special needs school built 100 years ago

Nov 3 2012 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

A new school for handicapped children in Paisley and surrounding areas was opened 100 years ago – and it offered a new dawn for kids with special needs.

The building, on the Renfrew Road, close to Abercorn School, was called The Special Classes School.

It was a handsome and commodious establishment, which was carried through by the forward-thinking Paisley School Board.

Built by local architects, Messrs A Craig Barr and Cook, the two-storey building had separate entrances on the ground floor for boys and girls.

Children who were able to walk entered by an inclined pathway, while those in wheelchairs entered via a covered porch.

As soon as all children were safely in their classes, a folding gate was closed over for added security, and four separate playgrounds kept apart the four special classes – boys affected either mentally or physically, and for girls with the same ailments.

One advanced invention was the construction of ‘wind shields’, which meant children could still get fresh air even if the weather was foul.

The school cost just under £12,000 to complete, but was capable of catering for around 320 children, all of whom would come from Paisley and its many surrounding towns and villages.

A large turnout of ladies and gentleman were present at the grand opening of the school, which the Rev Dr Metcalfe, Chairman of the establishment, presided over.

Among others on the welcome podium were Sir Thomas Glen-Coats and Provost Muir MacKean, and after two verses of the 100th Psalm had been sung, Rev DJ Allison offered a dedicatory prayer.

The Chairman, in his introductory remarks, stated that there wasn’t a finer school of its kind in Scotland, outwith Glasgow, Edinburgh and Govan – but that it was second to none in the country for the perfection of its arrangements, and completeness of equipment.

The staff comprised of 14 teachers, one nurse, three guides, one cook, two assistant cooks and even a chauffeur.

In his speech, the Chairman said: “I trust that everything that is expected of the work in this school will be fulfilled. Everyone in Paisley should be proud of the splendid work done by the Paisley School Board in taking up this question and bringing it to fruition.”

Edited March 29, 2013 by pod

[Eddy]

Beside Abercorn School and it was called 'The Special Classes School'

Pod - you were right the first time - this is not the building beside Abercorn School - it IS the Abercorn School - the Special Classes School isn't there anymore, I think it was demolished when they built the first bit of Reid Kerr.

It brings back many happy memories for me (although I only had 6 years as it closed and I had to move to the hated Gallowhill Primary for P7). Most of them associated with smells - wet gloves hanging on radiators, not being able to reach my coat peg in the cloakroom (which had a sticker of Little Red Riding Hood on it), triangle milk cartons, the jannie and his bucket of sawdust when someone had been sick, and the massive playground.

Cockles - did you have to traipse along Renfrew Road to the pitches at the back of St Mirins? I think this is where the boys went for football - it was definitely where we had sports days.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Eddy

[RickMcD]

Pod - you were right the first time - this is not the building beside Abercorn School - it IS the Abercorn School - the Special Classes School isn't there anymore, I think it was demolished when they built the first bit of Reid Kerr.

It brings back many happy memories for me (although I only had 6 years as it closed and I had to move to the hated Gallowhill Primary for P7). Most of them associated with smells - wet gloves hanging on radiators, not being able to reach my coat peg in the cloakroom (which had a sticker of Little Red Riding Hood on it), triangle milk cartons, the jannie and his bucket of sawdust when someone had been sick, and the massive playground.

Cockles - did you have to traipse along Renfrew Road to the pitches at the back of St Mirins? I think this is where the boys went for football - it was definitely where we had sports days.

Another one I should have known. But eddy, you wee pet, how did you get your coat up and doon? If it got marooned up there you could have got the flu. Is Little Red Riding Hood still stuck up there? We need to know.

[Eddy]

Cockles - no, the Thompson twins were the year below me in School - was their oldest sister in your class? I started in '76. I had mrs finnie, and remember mr Munro, also had mrs mills & mrs McCracken.

Rick - I used to get one of the big boys to hang my duffle coat up for me - I was only 4 and have always been somewhat on the short side. I doubt little red riding hood is still there as I think Milne Craig probably don't need pictures to remember which coat peg they are using :-)

[Sonny]

As has been identified PICTURE 122 was originally the Abercorn School on Renfrew Rd. Built 1902 and C Listed. As Eddy stated the Architect was John Hutchinson who was the architect for the Renfrewshire School Board and designed several Schools in Paisley. The roof is the original roof - buildings were built to last in these days!

Now it is jointly used by Milne Craig, Chartered Accountants and Reid Kerr College. The lower floor of Reid Kerr (Boys Entrance ) is the Abercorn Conference Centre and the upper floor are the photography studios with photography lectures theatres downstairs. I believe the inner part of the building was open - plan but there is now a huge false floor suspended on the upper level. It has a beautiful original wooden bannister leading up to the top floor.

PICTURE 122 ....

PS The wrought iron railings and steps leading down to this building and to what was the Special Needs School are also all C Listed.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Sonny

[Eddy]

Yes Sonny - the inner part of the building was the gym hall - you could lie on the floor and look up through the roof and there was a balcony round it with classes on the upper floor. The wood around the bottom of the balcony had what was considered 'inspiring' words written in gold leaf - stuff like honesty, compassion, integrity, etc.

Given the similarities I'm assuming Mr H was also responsible for the smaller and (in my humble opinion) inferior Williamsburgh :-p

[Sonny]

You may find out more about Mr H in due course Eddy . Yes going up the stairs you can still vaguely see an inspirational word that someone tried to sandpaper off during the renovation - they should have left it alone. Although totally modernised inside it still has an oldy world feel to it.

[Eddy]

I'm a bit saddened by the whole renovation but I guess I should be glad that it's still there and it wasn't bulldozed or allowed to fall to ruin like so many others. It was a lovely building, big windows and doors and high ceilings, although I realise it wasn't filled to capacity, was probably costing a fortune in upkeep and Reid Kerr were putting pressure on the council so they could increase in size, it was a real culture shock moving to Gallowhill Primary - all on the one level with a tiny wee gym hall - and they had carpets in the classrooms FFS so you had to take your shoes off before they'd let you into class. I hated every minute of it.

I knew about the bell because on the last ever day at Abercorn, Tony Lindsay (the janitor who lived on the wee house on Renfrew Rd) lined us all up on the stairs and we all got a turn at pulling the bell chord - my wee 10 year old heart was broken!

[Sonny]

Yea, the windows are high up to allow light in but also to stop pupils gazing out at the outside world - sneaky!

Two of my old Schools have been demolished and as you say its good that Abercorn is having a new lease of life and not suffering the fate of so many lovely Paisley buildings.

[Tony A]

Two of my old Schools have been demolished and as you say its good that Abercorn is having a new lease of life and not suffering the fate of so many lovely Paisley buildings.

The only building to which I had a connection with which was knocked down (that I know about) was the old North Building of Renfrewshire Council Headquarters. That did deserve to be knocked down though the shithole. I "celebrated" it being turned to rubble.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Tony A

[Vambo57]

Yes Sonny - the inner part of the building was the gym hall - you could lie on the floor and look up through the roof and there was a balcony round it with classes on the upper floor. The wood around the bottom of the balcony had what was considered 'inspiring' words written in gold leaf - stuff like honesty, compassion, integrity, etc.

Given the similarities I'm assuming Mr H was also responsible for the smaller and (in my humble opinion) inferior Williamsburgh :-p

So not Ibrox then...

[bluto]

So... When did the Abercorn and St Mirin's Academy swap buildings?

[RickMcD]

As has been identified PICTURE 122 was originally the Abercorn School on Renfrew Rd. Built 1902 and C Listed. As Eddy stated the Architect was John Hutchinson who was the architect for the Renfrewshire School Board and designed several Schools in Paisley. The roof is the original roof - buildings were built to last in these days!

Now it is jointly used by Milne Craig, Chartered Accountants and Reid Kerr College. The lower floor of Reid Kerr (Boys Entrance ) is the Abercorn Conference Centre and the upper floor are the photography studios with photography lectures theatres downstairs. I believe the inner part of the building was open - plan but there is now a huge false floor suspended on the upper level. It has a beautiful original wooden bannister leading up to the top floor.

PICTURE 122 ....

PS The wrought iron railings and steps leading down to this building and to what was the Special Needs School are also all C Listed.

Did the Special Needs School have any other name? When I was a boy there was a special needs school in Paisley called Sandyford and from memory it was in down the Renfrew Road somewhere. It was a more cruel world back then and the name Sandyford was a kind of bogey man term. 'You're stupit! You'll get sent to Sandyford!' I remember kids in tears when something like that was yelled at them. When I lived in Glenburn there was a girl lived across the road from me who had hydrocephalus. This resulted in her having a huge head which caused massive problems. She was very intelligent but she was shunted off to Sandyford for the sad truth was that her life would have been hell on earth in an ordinary school.

[buddiecat]

As has been identified PICTURE 122 was originally the Abercorn School on Renfrew Rd. Built 1902 and C Listed. As Eddy stated the Architect was John Hutchinson who was the architect for the Renfrewshire School Board and designed several Schools in Paisley. The roof is the original roof - buildings were built to last in these days!

Now it is jointly used by Milne Craig, Chartered Accountants and Reid Kerr College. The lower floor of Reid Kerr (Boys Entrance ) is the Abercorn Conference Centre and the upper floor are the photography studios with photography lectures theatres downstairs. I believe the inner part of the building was open - plan but there is now a huge false floor suspended on the upper level. It has a beautiful original wooden bannister leading up to the top floor.

PICTURE 122 ....

PS The wrought iron railings and steps leading down to this building and to what was the Special Needs School are also all C Listed.

Did the Special Needs School have any other name? When I was a boy there was a special needs school in Paisley called Sandyford and from memory it was in down the Renfrew Road somewhere. It was a more cruel world back then and the name Sandyford was a kind of bogey man term. 'You're stupit! You'll get sent to Sandyford!' I remember kids in tears when something like that was yelled at them. When I lived in Glenburn there was a girl lived across the road from me who had hydrocephalus. This resulted in her having a huge head which caused massive problems. She was very intelligent but she was shunted off to Sandyford for the sad truth was that her life would have been hell on earth in an ordinary school.

i believe the building between abercorn school and st mirins academy was the sandyford , and yes from my days in glenburn i remember the cruelty aimed at that girl, and the stigma attached to sandyford, i remember the pupils used to get picked up in a grey coloured bus and this gave rise to "you'll be going to school in the wee grey bus" whenever you had been erratic in some way,

[buddiecat]

So... When did the Abercorn and St Mirin's Academy swap buildings?

they never swapped, st mirins academy was built with that name and about 5 years ago was burned to the ground after lying empty for a number of years, pupils from st mirins and the convent across the road - st margerets - were the last to use it when it was known as st mirins and st margerets, before closing when st andrews and the other one in renfrew - trinity high - took most of the pupils from the paisley/renfrew area

[Sonny]

The rubble of St Mirins is still there. I'll get a photo this week for you Bluto. As Buddiecat said it burned down in April 2010 and demolished in Oct that year. The original St Mirin's Academy (1922) has already been featured and was in East Buchanan St - the building still exists. The School however expanded and moved to Renfrew Rd in 1933. In 1976 is merged with St Margaret's which was situated across from Chivas in Renfrew Rd. The railings and steps for St Mirins are also there and C Listed. So we have 3 sets of steps on Renfrew Rd with one leading to Abercorn and the other two to wastground where the other two Schools once stood (Sandyford and St Mirins).

I dont know when St Mirins and St Margaret's Secondary closed down or if the original Convent still exists. I shall investigate

Famous ex-pupils include Gerald Butler, Gerry Rafferty and John Byrne and I am sure some members of B&W Army

[Eddy]

St Mirin's/st Margaret's moved to the empty John Neiston building on Ferguslie around 89/90 I think, before amalgamating with St Andrews.

The convent has been gone for many years - there was a derelict part of it left until early 80s I think - we used to dare each other to cut through the connie on the way home from school and tell stories about how it was haunted by nuns. It was where that new housing estate at the back if MacDonalds is now.

Dad has mentioned in the past about a boy who was in his class in Mossvale who had polio and as a result was sent to Sandyford, it must've had a lasting effect on him at the time as he seemed to feel an injustice on the boys behalf - after all it was his leg which was affected, not his brain. I'll be speaking to him later so I'll ask him if he remembers where it was.

[bluto]

It's ok...... calm doon, calm doon....

I obviously didnae know (nor probably care) which edifice was which... when I was still in Paisley.

I DID think/presume the best lookin wan was the Academy.

I believe youse.

I need no more proof than the posts above. Ta.

eta: I DO miss a pupil from St Margaret's....

Edited March 31, 2013 by bluto