The small Scottish town that has a hidden sci-fi attraction and a chippy owned by a famous singer
LOVE fish and chips, and the movie Alien? Then there is a UK town that surprisingly ticks both the boxes.
Tourists heading north of the border tend to end up either going to Edinburgh, Glasgow or further afield into the countryside.
However, Paisley in Scotland is a fascinating town in its own right, with plenty of quirky sites to visit.
Perhaps the most famous is its abbey, which was originally built in the 12th century.
The medieval building has great significance in Scottish history, with Sir William Wallace educated there in his younger days.
However, its more recent refurbishments might be of more interest to science fiction fans, with some Edinburgh-based stone masons having fun with one of its gargoyles.
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In 1991, some necessary restoration work was carried out, with several gargoyles badly damaged by water.
One of the replacement statues, still on the abbey to this day, looks a lot like the xenomorph from the Alien movies.
explained: "One of the gargoyles is certainly unique, which is fitting, as medieval tradition holds that no two gargoyles can look the same.
"The creature bears a strong resemblance to H.R. Giger’s Xenomorph from the Alien franchise.
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"As the films were popular throughout the 1980s and early ‘90s, it’s likely one of the workers drew a bit of inspiration from its otherworldly antagonist."
Meanwhile, another dark moment from the town's past draws in tourists as well, with a memorial to witches burned in the town, following a trial in the 17th century.
The story goes that 11-year-old Christian Shaw, the daughter of the Laird of Bargarran started showing signs of being cursed, suffering from violent fits and seizures that doctors couldn't explain.
Blame was laid at the feet of Christian's servant Catherine Campbell, after the child had caught her stealing milk and reported it to her mother.
Campbell's response was to loudly wish that the Devil would “haul" the child's soul through hell.
This led to a lengthy trial in which Catherine Campbell and six others - Agnes Naismith, Margaret Lang, Margaret Fulton, John Reid, John Lindsay, and James Lindsay — were sentenced to death as witches.
John and James Lindsay were just 11 and 14 years old at the time.
All seven were burned and the memorial, found on a patch of land just off Queen street, remains in place as a reminder of the grim series of events.
Other landmarks in the town are much less bleak, with the fountain at Fountain Gardens, Paisley’s oldest public park, a favourite among visitors and locals.
According to : "The park consists of a grand geometric layout with broad walkways, all of which lead to the Grand Fountain - an ornate cast-iron fountain at the centre with statues of herons, dolphins and walruses."
One TripAdvisor reviewer wrote: "The fountain is a joy to behold. If you ever get the chance to visit Paisley make sure this is on your list to see."
After a busy day's explorations, visitors to the town might well be hungry, which is fortunate, as one of its most famous sons owns a chip shop there.
More than 120 years ago, musician Paolo Nutini's great grand father opened the Castelvecchi chippy.
Since then it has become an institution in Paisley, with the pop star even working shifts there during his teens.
In 2007, the wrote of the chip shop: "It has been an institution for generations of customers, and it wouldn't have surprised anyone if Nutini had followed in his forefathers' footsteps and taken over the chippy himself.
"Anyone, that is, who hadn't heard him sing."
Nutini isn't the only star to come from Paisley either, with others joining him as famous graduates from the town's PACE Youth Theatre.
They include actors Richard Madden and James McAvoy and singer-songwriter David Sneddon, who has penned hits for the likes of Will Young, Olly Murs and Lana Del Rey.
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Meanwhile, this peaceful UK town is home to one of the country's biggest waterfalls.
And this UK town has been nicknamed the new Berlin.
