Johnstone History Museum

13/05/2026

Copy of a post from Gerry Kavanagh copied from the Johnstone History page-

"Spun from cotton cast in iron"
Excited to announce that this book by the late Peter Farmer has been reproduced by the Johnstone History Museum with kind permission from Peter's wife.
The book is currently available from the Johnstone History museum in Morrison's supermarket (opening hours Wed, Fri and Sat 10:30 to 4pm) for the great price of £12.
I understand that there are plans to make it available through the Johnstone History Society website for those that cannot access the museum or live further afield. Prices will include postage and packaging as per post office rates.
https://johnstonehistory.org/
For me this is the definitive history book on the town of Johnstone which I can only thank Peter for retrospectively.
As a personal bonus my own father Jimmy Kavanagh is mentioned in the book as one of the local football referees.

I have an original copy of the book, which I received from Ann Burns in Australia, as any owner of an original book will know the binding was not the best and pages came loose from the binding. This new book does not have this problem.

So, for those of you that are keen to expand your knowledge on the history of Johnstone, then I cannot recommend this book enough, a testament to Peter and his research that it has been reprinted due to the ongoing demand for his book.

Once again, a big thank you to Peter's family for their kind permission to reproduce his book and all I can say is that you all must still be very proud of his achievement via this book.

09/05/2026

Our last meeting of the 2025/26 season will take place on Tuesday 12th May. We will be welcoming back Alison Cathcart of Stirling University who last spoke to us in October 2023 on the Scots who were 'planted' in Ulster. This time her subject is Mary, Queen of Scots - a figure of enduring fascination for many.
The meeting will be held at the Masonic Hall, Collier Street, Johnstone at 7:15 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. start.

All are welcome. Admission is free for members; visitors £2.

Why not consider joining the History Society for the 2026/27 session? £10 membership gives free entry to all the talks for the year. Either drop in to the museum and pay your membership or join on the night. The syllabus for the 2026-27 will be available soon.

07/04/2026

The AGM for Johnstone History Society scheduled for 10th March was postponed due to the sudden passing of Jim Gibson, our Museum colleague and long serving treasurer. The AGM will now be held on 14th April.

The format has changed a little this year. We will still meet at 7:30 but will have a 45 minute film show of some old Johnstone films before holding the AGM. The film show will be free and open to members and non members alike. Non members will be free to leave at the end of the film show or sit through the AGM if they wish.

The talk by Liz Allan scheduled for that date will be rescheduled for later in the year. Our talk by Alison Cathcart scheduled for 12th May will go ahead as planned.

13/03/2026

Jim Gibson funeral arrangements.
Thank you for all the responses we had to my post about Jim Gibson’s passing. I know that these were appreciated by the family.
The Funeral will take place at the High Parish Church at 11 am on Friday, 20th March, and at Kilbarchan Cemetery thereafter.

11/03/2026

It is with deep regret that we have to report that Jim Gibson our Museum colleague and long serving Treasurer of Johnstone History Society sadly passed away suddenly on Monday 9th March. Our thoughts are with his wife and family.

05/02/2026

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday 10th February when Paul Noble will give us another talk inspired by his adventures beneath the floorboards of his Glasgow home. This one is entitled "The life, loves and legacy of David McHaffie…..an ordinary Glasgow Merchant?". If you remember his first talk in October 2024, you will know that this is one not to be missed.
The meeting will be held at the Masonic Hall, Collier Street, Johnstone at 7:15 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. start.
All are welcome. Admission is free for members; visitors £2.
Why not consider joining the History Society? £10 membership gives free entry to all the talks for the year. Either drop in to the museum and pay your membership or join on the night.
The full 2025-26 syllabus can be found on our website.

The museum, located in Johnstone, Scotland, near Paisley and Glasgow, has an excellent collection of technology, maps, photographs and texts spanning hundreds of years. The region was a center of the textile trade for centuries and diversified into machine tool manufacturing, frequently associated w...

07/01/2026

Tuesday 13th January will see our first meeting of 2026 and our speaker will be David Pettigrew who works with Stenlake publishers in Ayrshire. In 2023 they published the book 'Glasgow, The Clyde and Slavery' and David will come along and tell us something about the process of commissioning it.

The meeting will be held at the Masonic Hall, Collier Street, Johnstone at 7:15 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. start.

All are welcome. Admission is free for members; visitors £2.

Why not consider joining the History Society? £10 membership gives free entry to all the talks for the year. Either drop in to the museum and pay your membership or join on the night.
The full 2025-26 syllabus can be found on our website.
www.johnstonehistory.org

17/12/2025

If you are looking for a stocking filler then the History Museum may be able to help. We have local history books and a limited number of calendars still available is per attached photos. We are open Wed 17th, Friday 19th and Sat 20th 10:30 till 16:00 so please drop in.

05/12/2025

Johnstone History Society Talk
The next meeting of the Johnstone History Society will take place on Tuesday 9th December in the Masonic Hall, Collier Street, Johnstone.
Time 19:15 for 19:30 start
Speaker: Iain Murray
Topic: Johnstone and the Clyde
All welcome. Members free, Visitors £2.
Why not consider joining the History Society? £10 membership gives free entry to all the talks for the year. Either drop in to the museum and pay your membership or join on the night.
The full 2025-26 syllabus can be found on our website

The museum, located in Johnstone, Scotland, near Paisley and Glasgow, has an excellent collection of technology, maps, photographs and texts spanning hundreds of years. The region was a center of the textile trade for centuries and diversified into machine tool manufacturing, frequently associated w...

04/11/2025

Johnstone History Society Talk
The next meeting of the Johnstone History Society will take place on Tuesday 11th November in the Masonic Hall, Collier Street, Johnstone.
We will hear from Bruce Keith, a popular speaker who has already entertained and educated us with great enthusiasm and humour about Scottish Milestones. Bruce is returning to tell us about what goes on "Beneath the Surface" of his beloved Scotland.
All welcome. Members free, Visitors £2.
Why not consider joining the History Society? £10 membership gives free entry to all the talks for the year. Either drop in to the museum and pay your membership or join on the night.
The full 2025-26 syllabus can be found on our website

The museum, located in Johnstone, Scotland, near Paisley and Glasgow, has an excellent collection of technology, maps, photographs and texts spanning hundreds of years. The region was a center of the textile trade for centuries and diversified into machine tool manufacturing, frequently associated w...