A Paisley woman behind a popular online forum celebrating the beauty of the town’s tenements has created a video on the rich history of the buildings.
Mum-of-three Catherine Watt set up Behind Close Doors: Paisley’s Hidden Tenement Tiles in October 2020 to share her passion for the hidden beauty on the walls of common closes.
Catherine, 52, takes images of collection of colourful and historic “wally tiles” and shares them online with thousands of people in the ever-growing group.
Her page has attracted people from all over the world who marvel at the hidden gems found in the most unsuspecting places throughout Paisley, with many Buddies living overseas even posting their findings from their new homes.
To celebrate the group, Catherine - who studied film art at Paisley University - received funding from Renfrewshire Council’s TH.CARS2 Fund which aims to celebrate the area’s heritage.
With the cash, Catherine teamed up with Fablevision Studios to make a video on the history of Paisley and how the tenement’s with their tile treasures came to be.
She told the Express: “I met with Renfrewshire Council and they were really happy to support something on the history of the tiles and the tenements.
“So I went away and I had a think and I thought a film would be a great way to tell people all about it.
“I contacted Fablevision and we put something together to show people the history and what the group is all about.”
The video - which is available on YouTube - explores the industrial history of Paisley which saw the town become the world’s largest industrial manufacturer of thread.
The rapid growth of the thread industry saw Paisley become the richest town in Scotland, and people flocked from all over the country to work in one of the many thread mills.
This meant tenements became the home of choice for developers as it meant there were a large number of homes available for workers.
There are a number of tenements still standing in the town today. Some date to the late 1800s, but as time ticks on even the last of them are now 100 years old.
Many are clustered around Glasgow Road in the east end, built in the 1920s in the south off Neilston Road and around Brodie Park, and in spots such as Seedhill and Causeyside Street.
It’s in these buildings where you will find many f=of the tiles, with the video delving into the history of the manufacturing.
It’s this rich history that has fuelled Catherine’s passion for the tenements and the artwork hidden inside, and she hopes the video will encourage more people to seek out the hidden gems they may have missed before.
She added: “I think we forget there are some really amazing things to see in the town.
“Yes, we have so many beautiful and grand building like Paisley Abbey, but there are so many little hidden gems that people don’t even realise are there.
“The history is so interesting as well. When I first started taking pictures it was from an artistic point of view.
“But the more I read on the industrial history of the tenements and the social history, I found it all really fascinating.”
Since being posted on the group page, the video has proved a hit with the 1,400 members, which Catherine says feels like a “community”.
She added: “We have people posting their own finds in the town.
“We even have people who post pictures of tiles and stained glass and other things they find when they are on holiday.
“We have someone in the group from Argentina and an ex-Buddie in Australia who posts things from their homes.
“It’s been really good to see so many people embrace it and show an interest.”
To watch the video, click here.
