Basic Site Details

Name: Renfrew County Council, Paisley Town Council and Police Station building
Town, district or village: Paisley
City or county: Renfrewshire
Country: Scotland
Parish:  
Status:  
Grid ref:
Notes: Cost £4.75m

Phases 1, 3 and 4 Costains Construction

Phase 2 - Wight Construction Co. Falkirk

Alternative Names

The following alternative names are associated with this building/design:
 NameCurrent name?Notes
Item 1 of 1Paisley Civic Centre  

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
 ClassificationOriginal classification?Notes
Item 1 of 2County buildings  
Item 2 of 2Police station  

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:
 AddressMain entrance?Notes
Item 1 of 2Cotton Street to east of Cotton Street / south-east of Paisley Abbey
Item 2 of 2Paisley Abbey to east of Cotton Street / south-east of Paisley Abbey

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
 FromToEvent typeNotes
Item 1 of 11  Build/constructionAdministrative headquarters, consisting of 6-storey office block with linked annexe [Building,16/08/1968,p142]
Item 2 of 1123 October 1959 Proposedest. cost £1m.; possibility of competition assessed by Prof. John Needham, Sheffield University per Builder p508
Item 3 of 1117 February 1961 ProposedRenfrew CC and Paisley TC to proceed jointly at estimated project cost of £2m.; design competition proposed per Builder p340
Item 4 of 111963 Competition designs submittedTwo stage competition assessed by James Mottram, John Needham and Robert Gardner Medwin.
Item 5 of 111964 Design exhibitedWinning scheme - model exhibited
Item 6 of 11September 1966March 1968Build/constructionFirst phase to commenced on site, was scheduled to be finished by March 1968 (in February 1967). The contractor of this phase is Wight Construction Ltd. of Falkirk, Stirlingshire. [Building, 10/2/1967, p90].

According to Tony Monk's article in the Magazine of the Twentieth Century Society teh first phase consisted of the Renfrew & Bute Police offices and was completed in Autumn 1969.
Item 7 of 11September 1967April 1972Build/constructionThe scheduled commencement of the second phase, the Renfrewshire county buildings, of this development [Building, 10/2/1967, p90] and completion date.
Item 8 of 11April 1968 Build/constructionErection of administrative headquarters at cost of £1.7m
Item 9 of 11July 19681979Build/constructionFourth phase - Renfrewshire & Paisley Councils - suites and chambers and completion date.
Item 10 of 11July 1968December 1971Build/constructionThe scheduled commencement of the third phase, the municipal buildings, of this development [Building, 10/2/1967, p90] and completion date.
Item 11 of 111969 Won award or awardsCivic Trust Commendation for Phase 1

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
 NameRolePartnership GroupFromToNotes
Item 1 of 11Anthony John Monk A19641973 
Item 2 of 11David Alan Hutchison A19641973Won competition and secured job
Item 3 of 11Duncan Reid Adam A19641973Job architect
Item 4 of 11Graham David Locke A19641968 
Item 5 of 11Hutchison Locke & Monk A19641973Won competition and secured job
Item 6 of 11James Mason Paterson B1964 Finalist in competition
Item 7 of 11John McDonald Watson B1964 Finalist in competition
Item 8 of 11Watson & Paterson B1964 Finalist in competition
Item 9 of 11Michael Walter Hattrell G1964 Competition entry - not successful
Item 10 of 11Charles Weiss & Partners CApril 1968 Surveyors of Administrative Headquarters
Item 11 of 11Richard Costain (Construction) Ltd CApril 1968 Builder of Administrative Headquarters

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 4Glendinning, Miles1997Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75  Tuckwell Press Ltdp180
Item 2 of 4RIBA1970RIBA Directory 1970   
Item 3 of 4Royal Academy exhibitors    1964, no 1090
Item 4 of 4Walker, Frank Arneil1986South Clyde Estuary: An Illustrated Architectural Guide to Inverclyde and Renfrew  p8

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 11Builder23 October 1959  p508 'Proposed Civic Centre for Paisley'.
Item 2 of 11Builder17 February 1961  p340
Item 3 of 11Builder3 January 1964  p2 - details of competition results for Paisley Civic scheme
Item 4 of 11Builder10 January 1964  p65-70 - illustrated article detailing Hutchison's winning scheme, with plans and model
Item 5 of 11Building10 February 1967  p90
Item 6 of 11Building5 April 1968  p176
Item 7 of 11Building19 July 1968  Foundation stone of Renfrew CC £1.7m civic buildings near the abbey has been laid, p157
Item 8 of 11Building26 July 1968  p90
Item 9 of 11Building26 July 1968  p90
Item 10 of 11Building16 August 1968  p142
Item 11 of 11Twentieth Century Architecture20141 Articleby Tony Monk: 'Paisley Pride' pp33-35