Paisley & District

PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES:

Thursday 13th June, 11am, Mar Hall, Erskine, PA7 5NW. To drive there from Paisley take the M8, head for the Erskine Bridge onto the M898 and exit before the bridge, then straight ahead at the rounabout crossing the B815 and enter the grounds past the Cauldens Garden Centre on your right, continuing past various buildings of Erskine Home till you get to Mar Hall carpark. Bus transport is tortuous and slow, so please let me know if you need a lift and I will try to arrange one.
Formerly known as Erskine House, it was designed in 1828 by Sir Robert Smirke (architect of the British Museum) for the 11th Lord Blantyre, in a fusion of Elizabethan and Jacobean styles. Converted to a hotel 2002-4. We should be able to see the main public rooms. Those wishing to do so can take refrwshments in the Grand Hall overlooking the formal garden laid out 1845-8 by Sir Charles Barry.
If there is time we could take the short walk to see the former Offices and Stables, 1856 (possibly by William Burn), converted to a conference centre by Mike and Sue Thornley (who also designed the conversion of Formakin), and the octagonal piggery.
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Thursday 18th July 11am Hawkhead Village, Hawkhead Rd, Paisley, PA2 7DN, a housing development encorporating conversion of 5 retained listed buildings of the Hawhead Infectious Diseases Hospital, designed by Johnstone born architect Thomas Tait in 1933-6, The developers have recently been refused Listed Building Consent to demolish Ross House, built as a nurses home c 1939, also by Tait.
Please note that this is the third, not the usual second, Thursday in the month. This is so that we can take up member Dee Barnfield's kind offer of refreshments afterwards in her new build house in the village.

We will be no visit in August, but on Doors Open Day on 7the and 8th September may give us the opportunity for a group visit of one or two interested buildings. I will write again when the programme is published.

PREVIOUS POSTS:

1. Our next visit will be on Thursday next week, 14th March, 15.00 hrs,:to the Hawkhead Centre, 198 Hawkhead Rd, PA2 7BS (by the Barrhead Road). Of it the architects have written:
... the key design move [was] of envisaging the roof of the centre like a sweeping [hawk's] wing which shelters all of the activity below. This roof, which is lined in timber, has five large triangular rooflights set within it which provide light and interest to the central dining and gathering area. See http://pagepark.co.uk/project/architecture/scottish-war-blinded-centre-hawkhead/

There is some parking available ot the centre. Correction: McGills' bus No 10 from the Piazza the half hourly:No 10: 14.30, is heading East along Gauze St (not up Lonend), 14.30, helf hourly. The other buses are

No 66: 14.43 heading up Causeyside St (every 10 min)

No 6: 14.40 from Gauze St, heading E along the Glasgow Rd (hourly).

2. On Thursday 11th April we will visit Woodside Garden Cemetery, laid out in 1845. Meet at the lodge on Broomlands St at 11am.

3. For our 9th May visit on the 9th I propose a walk around the Formakin estate near Bishopton though its designed landscape past Robert Lorimer's several faux Scots Baronial building built 1903-1913.