The weather for the afternoon walking tour was not exactly kind, but West of Scotland climate aside I really enjoyed Wednesday’s Heritage Trust Network high-street regeneration conference in Paisley – a town with remarkable heritage that I always get a buzz out of visiting.
New uses for old buildings
With the subtitle “finding new uses for old buildings” the event was, appropriately, held in a pop-up theatre inside the old Allders/Co-op department store, which I previously visited when it was still trading just before Covid in 2020.
It's an interesting surprise to arrive in #Paisley and find a newly refurbished and rebranded Allders department store. Who ever expected that fascia to make a comeback? This store has always been a bit of an oddity, though… pic.twitter.com/NGv0JW0ilA
— Graham Soult FIPM (@soult) February 1, 2020
The Heritage Trust Network’s Beverley Gormley had invited me to come and talk about my Woolies15 research from earlier this year, and I was pleased that my presentation – focused on the re-use of old Woolworths buildings, and the window this offers on wider high-street trends – seemed to be very well received.
Diverse
I explained how retail (and especially variety store) uses still dominate the ex-Woolies estate, but that the number of more diverse uses – for leisure, housing, healthcare and more – are increasing.
It's raining heavily, but finally getting to see #Margate's former Woolworths is enough to put a smile on my face! 😍 pic.twitter.com/3WaLc9l5ME
— Graham Soult FIPM (@soult) November 19, 2022
In some cases – like Margate or Ilkeston, for instance – the repurposing expressly celebrates the Woolworths heritage, but even when it doesn’t, I gave examples to show that we cannot ignore the impact that these buildings have locally in terms of their history and associated memories. In many cases they are handsome properties too, making a positive and distinctive contribution to the streetscape.
The Woolworths in #Ilkeston was empty until earlier this year, but it's now been transformed into a pleasing cafe and upcycled furniture shop by @TheProjectARENA, whose work supports and empowers local people 👍 pic.twitter.com/KobNt4pI9m
— Graham Soult FIPM (@soult) December 20, 2017
Repurposing
The day’s other speakers were great as well. Grant Mason from PACE Theatre Company – whose venue we were using – spoke about his youth theatre organisation’s brilliant work in developing and nurturing young creative talent in Paisley, and its new community theatre – Exchange – that will soon bring new life to an old dance hall and night club.
Audrey Carlin of Wasps Studios gave an inspiring presentation about her organisation’s work in creating workspaces for Scotland’s artists, makers and creators, with 19 important buildings across the country now repurposed for creative industries.
And Euan Shearer from Renfrewshire Council gave a positive insight into how some of Paisley’s most historic buildings – including many previously rundown retail properties – are being repaired and reused.
Heritage riches
When a town like Paisley has quite such a plethora of heritage riches, not everything can be dealt with at once, but the follow-up walking tour reinforced the sense that there is definite progress in the town centre compared to my previous visits over the last decade or so.
There is maybe just a question to ask about why some of the new, rather generic, buildings proposed for Paisley lack the flair of what our ancestors managed!
If there was a clear message from the day, it’s that reusing old buildings isn’t always easy or cheap – on the contrary, in fact – but that if we want to give towns and high streets a future that is inspired by the best of the past, working with and celebrating that local heritage and distinctiveness is almost certainly the best way forward.
