Alien Gargoyle — David Lindsay, Paisley

💡 5 things to know

1. Drawn in one eveningLindsay says he sketched it late one evening in 1993, working from a fuzzy VHS copy of the film and a small plastic figurine. The next morning it went in with sketches by his colleagues. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 Checked
2. He expected a noOf the twenty or so proposals, only twelve would be carved. Lindsay was sure his homage would be recognised and rejected, and was surprised to find it among the approved designs. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 Checked
3. Modern designs were the briefThe client asked for contemporary new designs for the Category A listed abbey. The original decayed carvings had been replaced in the 1950s with featureless blocks. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 Checked
4. It carries rainwaterLike the gargoyles of the past, the new ones were designed to be functional, with a channel that carries water away from the building. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 Checked
5. Famous in 2013Lindsay writes that on 23 August 2013 someone posted a photograph of the carving online, saying it looked like the creature from Alien, and the story went viral within a short time. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 Checked

📍 Check-in guide

🗓️ Sightings

1. 1993

   Design sketched · David Lindsay

2. 201313 Oct

   Mark Harkin photo · camera date

3. 201610 Aug

   Thomas Nugent photo · date taken

4. 202530 Jan

   Described on the abbey · Paisley Heritage

Every stamp links to its source. Green stamps carry dated photographs: Mark Harkin’s, camera date 13 October 2013, and Thomas Nugent’s, taken 10 August 2016 according to its Geograph page, the newest dated photo we found, on which the status stamp rests. Amber stamps are written records: Lindsay’s account of sketching the design in 1993, and Paisley Heritage’s article of 30 January 2025, which describes the gargoyle as one of the most photographed features of the abbey; it is a written report, not a photograph, so it does not set the stamp.

📰 On the record

✅ The facts

Title

Alien Gargoyle, the name the carving is known by; no other title is recorded. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 · Scotland’s Churches Trust · Paisley Heritage, 30 Jan 2025 Checked

Artist

David Lindsay, Scottish stonemason and carver, who designed and carved it. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 · Scotland’s Churches Trust · Paisley Heritage, 30 Jan 2025 Checked

Period

Early 1990s: every source dates it between 1990 and 1993. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 · Scotland’s Churches Trust · Geograph · Paisley Heritage, 30 Jan 2025 Checked

Year

Lindsay dates his sketch to 1993; Scotland’s Churches Trust says it was created in 1991; the Geograph caption says the worn gargoyles were replaced in 1990; Paisley Heritage says early 1990s. We lean to 1993 for the design, because it is the carver’s own first-hand account. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 · Scotland’s Churches Trust · Geograph · Paisley Heritage, 30 Jan 2025 Conflicting

Commission

One of twelve new hand-carved gargoyles for the restoration of the roof and parapet of the 13th-century nave; the main contract was carried out by Stirling Stone Group Ltd. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 · Scotland’s Churches Trust Checked

Material

Pale buff sandstone from the Clashach quarry near Elgin in Moray. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 Checked

Function

Working waterspout with a channel that carries rainwater away from the building. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 Checked

Inspiration

The creature from Alien (1979), designed by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger. Paisley Heritage notes it is not an exact replica. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 · Paisley Heritage, 30 Jan 2025 Checked

Making

Three carvers shared the commission, each carving their own designs; each gargoyle took about four weeks. David Lindsay, Stirling City Heritage Trust, 22 May 2020 Checked

Location

South-western side of Paisley Abbey, Abbey Close, Paisley PA1 1JG. Scotland’s Churches Trust · Geograph Checked

Status

Photographed by Thomas Nugent on 10 August 2016 (date taken, as given on Geograph), the newest dated photograph we found; Paisley Heritage still described it on the abbey on 30 January 2025. Thomas Nugent, Geograph · Paisley Heritage, 30 Jan 2025 Checked

Our photo

Two photos in one image. The close-up of the gargoyle is Thomas Nugent’s Geograph photo of 10 August 2016 (CC BY-SA 2.0), cropped. Thomas Nugent, Geograph Checked The upper photo of the abbey: photographer and date unrecorded. Street Art Utopia, 19 Oct 2026 Unconfirmed

🔗 Related

• Look Closer at These Old Buildings (11 Photos): the SAU collection with the Alien Gargoyle

All sources (6)

Artist

• Stirling City Heritage Trust: “The story behind Paisley Abbey’s Alien gargoyle”, by David Lindsay, 22 May 2020. The sketch, the brief, the stone, the carving and the 2013 attention.

Heritage organisations

• Scotland’s Churches Trust: Paisley Abbey. Created in 1991 by David Lindsay; south-western side of the building; address.
• Paisley Heritage: “The many gargoyles of Paisley Abbey: the work of David Lindsay”, by Gavin Divers, 30 January 2025. Early-1990s restoration; the Xenomorph resemblance.

Photos

• Wikimedia Commons: Paisley Abbey “Xenomorph” Gargoyle, Mark Harkin, CC BY 2.0. Camera date 13 October 2013.
• Geograph: Paisley Abbey alien gargoyle, Thomas Nugent, CC BY-SA 2.0. Taken 10 August 2016; the close-up in our hero image is a crop of this photo.
• Street Art Utopia: Look Closer at These Old Buildings (11 Photos), 19 October 2026. The hero and share image.

Artwork File · Last checked 19 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files