Jacob Nicol

Mar 23, 2025 | theglasgowwrap.substack.com | Jacob Nicol

By Jacob NicolMarcus Dean thought he knew what he was signing up for when he bought the former North British Locomotive Company headquarters in Glasgow around 15 years ago. After all, he’d done it before. Back in 1992, he purchased Paisley’s last surviving thread mills and gradually transformed them into the thriving Abbey Mill Business Centre. The venture proved that, with enough time and money, buildings left for dead could be brought back to life.

Sep 21, 2024 | theglasgowwrap.substack.com | Jacob Nicol

By Jacob NicolIf a Broadway musical is ever set in Shawlands, the new civic square at the junction of Pollokshaws Road and Langside Avenue would be the perfect backdrop for the show's opening number. The overture would feature giggling schoolchildren, cheerful stall-keepers and a dishevelled shirtless man chasing another dishevelled shirtless man. And silently watching over the theatrics would be Langside Hall, a historic site that has seen generations of players make their entrances and exits.

Jan 2, 2024 | glasgowtimes.co.uk | Jacob Nicol

Raymond Anderson, Margaret Whyte and Joe Graham outside Johnstone High Parish Church (Image: Ant Flett) MEMBERS of Johnstone High Parish Church's congregation have shared their concerns over plans to close the building as a place of worship. We previously reported how, under cost-cutting plans, parishioners face having to travel to St Paul's Church, in Quarrelton Road, which will also house the congregation of St Andrew's Trinity.

Jan 2, 2024 | the-gazette.co.uk | Jacob Nicol

Lio Pierotti, owner of the Piccolo Mondo (Image: Ant Flett) A pair of restaurant owners in Renfrewshire have told of their hopes and fears as they prepare for the year ahead. Lio Pierotti, owner of the Piccolo Mondo, in Renfrew, said a major refurbishment had helped give his business a much-needed boost. He told The Gazette: "We've had to speculate to accumulate because if you stand still in this industry, then the only way is backwards really.

Dec 30, 2023 | glasgowtimes.co.uk | Jacob Nicol

Rats stock pic (Image: Sourced) Pest control staff have been called to around nine cases of rat infestation per week in Renfrewshire this year, new figures show. Paisley, Johnstone and Renfrew made up the top 10 areas for rat problems during 2023, as of November 20, with staff called out more than 450 times to deal with vermin. Ferguslie, in Paisley, was the worst street in Renfrewshire for rat-related callouts, with 10 of the 15 visits to the ‘hotspot’ taking place in May.