Coats Paisley is a reception hall which stands at the west end of the High Street in Paisley, Scotland. The building was the home of Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist Church, colloquially known as the Baptist Cathedral of Europe, until 2018. It has been a dominant feature of the Paisley skyline for over 100 years with its striking crown steeple rising to above the ground. The church is a category A listed building.

Thomas Coats

Thomas Coats (1809-1883) co-founder of the world-famous J.&P Coats company was a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

and devout member of the

Baptist Church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

. He was committed to the well-being of his town, involved in the restoration of

Paisley Abbey Paisley Abbey is a parish church of the Church of Scotland on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, about west of Glasgow, in Scotland. Its origins date from the 12th century, based on a for ...

, and in funding projects such as the construction of the Coats Observatory and Paisley Fountain Gardens. After his death in 1883 his close family funded the construction of a Baptist church in his memory.

History

A competition was held in 1885 for the design of the church with the selection of six pre-qualified architects. Construction commenced in late 1885 and was completed by May 1894. Hippolyte Jean Blanc was successful in securing his design. In light of a dwindling congregation and significant ongoing maintenance costs, the final church service took place in August 2018. A campaign was launched to raise the necessary funds to renovate and re-purpose the building as an arts and culture venue.

Architecture

The church is built in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style in red sandstone, cruciform in shape with flying buttresses along the nave and transepts. The central tower rises to an open crown steeple. At the front a set of stairs lead to four doorways, occupied by oak doors. There is seating inside for almost 1,000 people under the vaulted ceiling. Other features include mosaics, stencilled decoration, gargoyles, carved marble and alabaster. Above the chancel is a vaulted ceiling decorated with paintings of angels. On either side of the chancel the organ with some 3,040 pipes can be seen. Built by

William Hill & Sons William Hill & Son was one of the main organ builders in England during the 19th century. The founder William Hill was born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire in 1789. He married Mary, the daughter of organ-builder Thomas Elliot, on 30 October 1818 i ...

, the organ is one of only a few of its kind in Britain which has not been modified.

Current Use

The building is managed by the Coats Memorial Preservation Trust, and hosts weddings, proms and graduations, and corporate events. It is used as a 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.

References

* {{Authority control Former Baptist churches in Scotland 1894 establishments in Scotland Churches in Paisley, Renfrewshire Listed churches in Scotland Category A listed buildings in Renfrewshire Churches completed in 1894

Thomas Coats

History

Architecture

Current Use

See also

References