Mill Memories: The Women Who Powered Paisley’s Thread Industry

When people think of Paisley’s global legacy, they often think of the famous pattern — but it was the thread that truly stitched Paisley into the fabric of the world. And behind that industry? Thousands of women whose stories are too often forgotten.

Mill Memories, a powerful book by local author Evelyn Hood, captures those voices before they disappear.

Drawn from real interviews with women who worked in Paisley’s thread mills — including the iconic Coats and Clarks factories — the book brings together laughter, hardship, pride, and a sense of community that defined generations of working-class life in Renfrewshire.

These women weren’t just workers. They were the backbone of an industry that built Paisley’s fortune and touched every corner of the globe. From the clatter of machinery to the songs sung on the factory floor, Mill Memories offers a window into what it meant to be a “mill girl” in a town driven by thread.

Here at Paisley Tours, this book holds a special place in our heart. Many of the voices inside it echo the same stories we hear on our walking tours — passed down through families, stitched into the town’s identity.

Whether you’ve got personal ties to the mills or you’re just discovering Paisley’s rich industrial past, Mill Memories is a beautiful tribute to the women who made it all possible.

👉 Order your copy here:

www.paisleytours.org.uk/product-page/mill-memories-interviews-with-former-employees-of-paisley-s-thread-mill

Let’s keep their voices alive.