Home Report Elderslie

Elderslie is relatively quiet village in the council area of Renfrewshire of roughly 5,500 residents. It is sandwiched between Johnston to the west with which it shares a contiguous border, and Paisley to the East. It is about 12 miles west of Glasgow city centre.

Today while Elderslie is a dormitory settlement for commuters, it does have some historic significance as it is said it is the birthplace of Sir William Wallace born around 1270. In more recent history in the 18th and 19th centuries, the village was full of hustle and bustle in the throes of the industrial revolution. It was a centre for textiles, thread manufacturing, with a cotton and paper mill, and even a whisky distillery – the Glenpatrick Distillery – which was one of the first of its kind in Scotland. Carpet production was also a well-known local industry mainly through the company Stoddard Carpets and the company continued through until 2004 when it unfortunately went into receivership.

Time changes many things and so today Elderslie is predominantly a commuter village for residents who work in the wider Renfrewshire area, and Glasgow. The village has good transport links for commuters. The A761 road cuts through the northern tip of the town allowing for travel east to Glasgow and west to Johnston and Howwood. The A737 trunk road which connects to the M8 allows for faster travel into Glasgow and for connections further on into central Scotland. Elderslie doesn’t have a railway station of its own, but Johnston railway station is so close that most residents travelling by train would use this.

As for local amenities in Elderslie, the village has the usual array of shops and services like newsagents, takeaways, and so on. There is a local scouts hall and bowling club too. However, the most well-known aspect of the town is Elderslie Golf Club. The 18-hole parkland course with amazing views is over 110 years old and is a particular draw for golfers for its well-manicured fairways among the local woods. For a wider array of shops and services, residents typically make use of Johnston and especially Paisley’s given their proximity.

In terms of local schooling then, there is one non-denominational state primary school in Elderslie: Wallace Primary School. This is a feeder for Castlehead High School in Paisley.