WAY The Temple has a story to tell
WE REVISIT DEREK PARKER’S RAMBLES THROUGH RENFREWSHIRE
One of the most enigmatic buildings in the Paisley area is the Temple on a rocky eminence five miles from the town centre.
Today, I can reveal some of its secrets.
It is Masonic.
The elegant edifice was built atop Kenmuir Hill during the mid-18th century.
It was funded by the wealthy Macdowall family, who are commemorated by a plaque in Paisley Abbey and were leading lights in Scottish Freemasonry.
Overlooking their magnificent mansion on the shores of Castle Semple Loch, it’s an architectural reminder of King Solomon’s Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.
Just as the Jerusalem Temple was surrounded by an outer-walled courtyard, its Kenmuir Hill equivalent is enclosed by the Castle Semple estate wall.
In a Christian context, the Renfrewshire Temple’s octagonal
Mine of information
Derek Parker knew many of Paisley’s secrets — the grimy and the good.
He wandered every corner in search of the clues that would unlock Renfrewshire’s rich history.
These tales were shared with readers in his hugely popular Parker’s Way column.
We’ve opened our vault to handpick our favourites for you.
shape is a memento of the eight points of the Cross of Calvary and the eight beatitudes preached by Christ on the Sermon on the Mount.
Halfway between a circle representing heaven and a square representing earth, the octagon symbolises Jesus unifying God and Man.
The Temple commemorates Hiram Abif, the architect of Solomon’s Temple.
He was murdered within its hallowed precincts by three Fellowcrafts – Jubelo, Jubela and Jubelum – for refusing to reveal the sacred secrets of a Master Mason.
Two of the fatal blows were inflicted on both sides of Hiram’s forehead – known anatomically to this day as the temples.
The Kenmuir Hill Temple is directly north-east of the Macdowall’s Castle Semple House.
North-east is the compass point where the sun rises on Midsummer Day – one of the most important dates on the Masonic calendar.
The north-eastern corner of Masonic temples is where Entered Apprentices are initiated.
It is here they learn their obligations to God, their fellow man and themselves.
The Temple is a reminder that each person is a Temple of God’s Holy Spirit.
Just as the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by Babylonian invaders, the light of life in the temple of our human bodies will dim at the end of our earthly pilgrimages.
Then, just as Solomon’s Temple was reconstructed by Zerubbabel, so shall we pass through death’s dark valley to become bricks and pillars in the Shining Temple of the New Jerusalem.
That is the message of the Kenmuir Hill Temple.