Our History
The four buildings that make up Abbey Mill Business Centre are the face of Paisley’s historic thread past. Beginning with the Embroidery Mill (built 1840), the thread and weaving industry in the local community grew rapidly with Anchor Mill (built 1886), Mile End Mill (built 1897) and the Sir James Clark Building (built 1923), expanding the industry and local economy. These four iconic buildings became the workplace for thousands of people in the community for over a hundred years with the goods made being exported to millions across the globe.
But then came the industrial decline and the buildings were sold off in the early 1980’s with the promise that the buildings would remain in commercial use to maintain jobs.
Our Future
These iconic thread mills were slowly converted into gorgeous studio spaces beginning with the Embroidery Mill in 1981. With the team at Abbey Mill Business Centre taking ownership in the early 1990’s, the Sir James Clark Building was converted in 1992 with the Mile End Mill following in 2000. The last building to be repurposed was the Anchor Mill building which was extensively renovated to become a mixture of office and residential properties with help from the Prince’s Foundation. King Charles and Prince William attended the grand opening of the newly renovated Anchor Mill in 2005.
Since their renovation into multi-use studio spaces, these buildings continue to showcase Paisley’s thread industry, while offering fantastic studio space for the businesses of today. Abbey Mill Business Centre’s goal is to provide top quality studio space for businesses of all sizes, providing you with all the tools that you need to help your business prosper.
