War memorials are on the move after 50 years in parish

Four war memorials which have been displayed in a listed Paisley church for almost half a century are to be rehomed.

The commemorative plaques will be moved from the now disused St Luke’s Church in Neilston Road to the former Lylesland Church in Rowan Street following a merger between the two.

The congregations joined together earlier this year to form what is now known as Paisley South Church, based at the Lylesland building.

Members of the church who gave their lives in both world wars are honoured on the plaques, which sit either side of the organ at St Luke’s.

After council planning bosses gave the go- ahead to move the memorials, they will now be taken to the vestibule of the sanctuary at Paisley South Church where they will be displayed alongside those from Lylesland.

Jim Miller, joint session clerk at

Paisley South Church, said he was pleased the public would continue to be able to access the memorials.

He said: “I am delighted that the council has seen fit to support us in retaining access to these memorials.

“They will be displayed prominently in the vestibule of our new church.

“I think it will form quite a smart entrance.

“They will be displayed either side of the entrance along with the ones from Lylesland, so it’ll be nice to have that symmetry and show the union of the two churches.

“I can’t say exactly when the memorials will be moved, but we are in the process of doing that now along with some other artefacts we are keeping from the church.”

The plaques originally ended up in St Luke’s following a union of two other Paisley congregations - Oakshaw West and the South Church.

Each of the buildings housed a memorial from the First and Second World Wars, with all four of them moving to St Luke’s in 1972.

In its decision notice,

Renfrewshire Council said moving the plaques would not have a detrimental impact on St Luke’s as a listed building.

The statement said: “The Historic Environment Scotland listing does not include the war memorials within the description of the building or its statement of special interest.

“It is considered they do not make a significant contribution to the character or special interest of the building. The removal of the war memorials, and their relocation, is therefore considered to be acceptable as it will not have a detrimental impact on St Luke’s Church.

“It is also noted that as St Luke’s Church is no longer in use, the relocation of the memorials will allow them to continue to be accessible to the public.”

Tomorrow, Paisley South Church will host its first worship in months after Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were eased, with around 45 people attending.

For those who cannot attend, a webcast of the service will be broadcast on the church’s website at https://paisleysouthchurch.org/

I am delighted the council has seen fit to support us in retaining access to these memorials