Paisley Thread Mill Museum

Paisley Thread Mill Museum opened in 2009 and moved to Mile End Mill in 2016. It is run by volunteers. The town of Paisley was the most important place in Scotland for cotton spinning in the nineteenth century. It increasingly concentrated on making fine thread in many colours for sewing, using a technique that gave cotton thread a quality similar to silk. Weaving mills in the town popularised the ‘Paisley pattern’ of teardrop shapes based on traditional models in Iran and India. The pattern was particularly well-known for its use in ‘Paisley shawls’ of silk or cotton that women wore across their shoulders. The museum shows models, thread-twisting machines, looms, photographs and advertising images. Many items were donated by the Coats Group, which began in Paisley in 1802 and is now a multinational. Visitors can buy cotton thread and Paisley-pattern textiles in the museum shop.