A Paisley church looks set to close later this year after a congregation member said there is an offer to merge with another Church of Scotland parish.
According to one parishioner, the former Wallneuk Church, now known as Paisley North Church, will merge with Paisley Abbey, bringing about the closure of Paisley North.
An earlier proposal to merge with Oakshaw Trinity Church was refused after concerns were raised about accessibility. Many members of the congregation would have found the steep approach to Oakshaw Trinity difficult to manage, particularly as a number of worshippers do not have access to transport.
The church building itself has a long and significant history within the town. The former Wallneuk Church was completed in 1915 and designed by Paisley architect Thomas Graham Abercrombie.
Originally opened as a United Free Church, the congregation became part of the Church of Scotland following the historic Union of the United Free Church and Church of Scotland in 1929.
Over the decades, a series of amalgamations with neighbouring congregations led to further changes, with the church eventually becoming known as Wallneuk North Church before later adopting the name Paisley North Church.
The possible merger with Paisley Abbey marks another chapter in the long history of church unions in Paisley, but it will also bring to an end over a century of worship on the Wallneuk site.
Paisley Photographs 