Paisley Methodist Central Hall
Denomination: Methodist
Address: 2 Smithhills Street, Paisley, PA1 1EB
Local Authority: Renfrewshire
Listing:
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Church Overview
Paisley Methodist Central Hall is an imposing Edwardian building in the Free Renaissance style designed by architects Watson and Salmond and constructed in 1908.
Methodist Central Halls were intended to provide facilities for wholesome entertainment as well as worship. The building is one of the few remaining central halls still in use by the Methodist Church and the only one in Scotland.
The three storey building, finished in an ashlar bond, comprises a series of halls and shops. Gauze Street has eight bays and eleven in Smithhills street. Flanking either side of the door are pairs of shops with original frontages. The first and second floors of both street frontages have decorative stone furnishing and ornate window casements.
The large auditorium seats over 700 people on the first and second floors and is where worship takes place. In 2014 the original wooden seats in the central area on the first floor were removed and replaced with modern, comfortable seating.
The pipe organ dates from 1885. It was purchased from Queen’s Park High Church in Glasgow and was installed in 1925. No longer playable, it has been superseded for purposes of musical accompaniment by a digital organ purchased in 1984.
windows and roof lights are decorated with stained-glass depictions of the heads of winged angels.
The pulpit and lectern falls feature butterflies to represent eternal life. On the lectern fall the butterflies surrounding the tree of life. The falls were donated to the church in the 1980s.
On the ground floor there is a lesser hall with a small stage and a piano. The auditorium, lesser hall and various rooms in the building are available for lets.
Services
Sundays: 11.00am.
Opening Arrangements
Open daily by arrangement. For hall lets please call Ian Patrick on 07793 241742
Disclaimer
The information about churches in Scotland’s Churches Scheme has been provided by the congregations or taken from the Historic Scotland list and published sources, in particular, the Buildings of Scotland volumes and the RIAS Illustrated Architectural Guides. To contact this specific church please complete the Contact this Church form above. The information is not authoritative; please contact Scotland’s Churches Trust to let us know of any errors or omissions.