Paisley's historic timekeeping puts it 18 minutes behind GMT

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 24 Oct, 07:09 · Archive

Paisley could technically run nearly 18 minutes behind the rest of the UK because of its longitude and historical timekeeping practices.

Paisley could technically run nearly 18 minutes behind the rest of the UK, a quirk known as 'Paisley time'. This time difference stems from the town's longitude, which is 4.43 degrees west of Greenwich. Before the industrial revolution and standardised time zones, towns across the UK measured time by the sun rather than Greenwich Mean Time, with noon occurring when the sun reached its highest point in the sky.

The tradition is rooted in the Coats Observatory, Scotland's oldest publicly accessible observatory. Businessman Thomas Coats purchased a transit telescope and three precision clocks—two sidereal and one mean-time clock—to establish the observatory. These instruments required a dedicated building called Transit House, where staff recorded and maintained the town's official time, which was then used to set public clocks throughout Paisley.

The transit telescope was permanently aligned with the meridian line. When a 'clock star' such as Betelgeuse crossed the meridian, the sidereal clock was set accordingly, allowing astronomers to keep highly accurate time. This 'star time' could then be converted to GMT for everyday use. Transit House is now part of the transformed Paisley Museum campus, which is set to reopen to the public early next year.

How it is being reported

• As the clocks go back, why is Paisley more than 17 minutes behind Greenwich Meantime?As the clocks go back this weekend, buddies in Paisley could be forgiven for setting their alarms a little later than others if they decide to stay on 'Paisley time'.The Herald · 24 Oct, 06:37
• Here's why 'Paisley time' is nearly 18 minutes behind the rest of the UKAs the clocks go back once again, Paisley could technically running nearly 18 minutes behind the rest of the country.Glasgow Times · 24 Oct, 06:00

In this story: Paisley · Greenwich · Thomas Coats · Coats Observatory · Transit House

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem