Neilston (Scots: Neilstoun, Scottish Gaelic: Baile Nèill, pronounced [paləˈnɛːʎ]) is a village and parish in East Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland.

Neilston is mentioned in documents from the 12th century, when the feudal lord Robert de Croc, endowed a chapel to Paisley Abbey to the North.

[5] Although heavy industry died out in the latter half of the 20th century, as part of Scotland's densely populated Central Belt, Neilston has continued to grow as a commuter village,[6] supported by its position between Paisley and Glasgow, from roughly 1,000 people in 1800 to 5,168 in 2001.

For instance, it has been written that "Neil" was a General of King Haakon IV of Norway, who, fleeing from the Battle of Largs (1263), was overtaken in this locality and put to death.

[8] In a similar semi-legendary popular etymology, Neilston's origin was said to derive from a stone erected over the grave of a Highland chief named Neil who was allegedly killed at the Battle of Harlaw (1411), in the reign of King James I of Scotland.

"Doun" is a corruption of "dun" meaning castle or fort, and the prefix perhaps implies the lack of physical warmth within the tower or the greeting received by unwelcome guests.

[13] Despite this distinction of local importance, Neilston remained a scattered community of small dwellings and farms, changing only with the arrival of the Industrial Revolution.

[14] The foundations of a textile industry in Neilston were laid by the monks of Paisley Abbey who mastered the local woollen trade in the Middle Ages.

[9] By 1780, cotton manufacturing and bleaching had become the main industry in Neilston; the clear busy waters of the River Levern being well suited for power and processing.

[16] In the "Old" Statistical Account of Scotland (1792), compiled under the direction of Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster, Neilston was noted to have two cotton mills employing together more than 300 people, over half of them children.

[17] The local Minister was concerned for the children's welfare, remarking on how they missed school to work in the mills where their lungs would be filled with cotton fluff and their skin spoiled by machine oil.

[18] It was one of seven large cotton mills on the banks of the River Levern between Neilston and Dovecothall, and although it closed for business in the early 1990s,[18] it is the only industrial structure from this period still standing.

[19] Because of the large size of the complex, coupled with its short distance from the main residential core of Neilston, it was described in 1830, at the peak of the industry's prosperity, as "a little town of its self".

[9] Following its period of rapid industrialisation, in 1904 about 400 mill houses were constructed forming Lintmill Terrace and its neighbouring streets in what was then the non-contiguous Holehouse area of the Parish of Neilston.

Additional housing schemes in the 1920s and 1930s led to Holehouse and old Neilston becoming a single continuously connected urban area,[11] described as that of a "sizable small township".

[13] Gentrification projects since 2000 have included the refurbishment of the parish church in 2004, an experimental public space renewal initiative in 2005[22] and the renovation of Nether Kirkton House, a mansion.

The soil in the hills near Neilston is considered to be largely infertile, whilst to the south and southwest there is an expansive moorland which extends as far as Darvel and Strathaven.

In his book Ordnance Survey of Scotland (1884), Francis Hindes Groome remarked that Neilston "presents an old-fashioned yet neat and compact appearance",[30] a view echoed by Hugh McDonald in Rambles Round Glasgow (1910), who stated that Neilston "is a compact, neat, and withal somewhat old-fashioned little township", although continued that it has "few features calling for special remark".

The Killoch Burn and glen, on the other side of the Levern northwest of Neilston are associated with witches, because at low water the numerous pot-holes or rock-cut basins have worn into one another, giving the area an unusual shape.

[34] The place of birth of the village's residents was 98.5% United Kingdom (including 94% from Scotland), 0.4% Republic of Ireland, 0.4% from other European Union countries, and 0.8% from elsewhere in the world.

[11][39] Due to its supply of hydropower from the River Levern, Neilston, like neighbouring Barrhead, developed factories and cotton mills after the arrival of the Industrial Revolution.

[40] It is claimed that thread from Crofthead Mill held together the boots of the climbing team led by Chris Bonington on the British Everest Expedition in 1975.

It is not documented who had the better bull, but the contest grew into an annual event that has become a local custom which is celebrated each year at the end of the show with the burning of a 50 ft tall wickerman.

Since deindustrialisation, Neilston is a commuter village with significant numbers of its inhabitants travelling to the major urban centres of Glasgow, Paisley and Barrhead for work.

[42] In 2006 Neilston Development Trust utilised the Land Reform Act to purchase the bank building for community usage with the aid of a grant of £210,000 from the Big Lottery Fund.

Dr Fleming proceeded to preach from a tent erected in the graveyard for a period of about eight years, insisting that "the people of the Parish are entitled to hear the gospel without money or price."

A school for children of landowners and wealthy farmers was established in Neilston Parish by 1600, under the supervision of the Kirk Session; ordinary peasants remained illiterate.

[56] Neilston Primary School was founded in 1880 and the current building was built in the late 1960s with an open-plan extension completed in 1991, With a new campus plan in 2023 shared with St.

There are two 11 a-side grass football pitches at Kingston Playing Fields in Neilston, these are maintained by East Renfrewshire Council and utilised by amateur and youth teams.

[66] There are no hospitals in Neilston—the nearest are in the larger settlements of Paisley, Glasgow and Newton Mearns—but some local health care is provided by the Doctors Surgery in central Neilston.