Alistair Hardaker | Image: The extract stairs to Paisley Museum (Renfrewshire Council)
Fit-out and install programme is expected to complete in 2026 before a public reopening next year
The Paisley Museum is set to open in early 2027, as its fit-out and install programme draws to its completion by the end of this year.
Renfrewshire Council announced the plans this week, having earlier this year completed its construction.
The redevelopment by Renfrewshire Council in collaboration with OneRen has has encountered several delays and was initially set to reopen in 2022.
Once open in 2027, the council said it expects to attract more than 127,000 visitors to the town each year.
The council says the majority of objects chosen for display are now packed in preparation for the main install programme, with more than double that prior to the redevelopment.
More than 100 curated displays will be in place at its opening, many of which have been co-produced with local people. On display will be one of the few surviving copies of Audobon’s Birds of America, the return of the life-sized ‘Buddie the Lion’, and artwork by John Byrne, Steven Campbell and the Glasgow Boys.
Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, Renfrewshire Council’s culture spokesperson and Chair of OneRen, said: “I’m delighted that the fit-out and install programme for Paisley Museum will be complete by the end of this year as I know how excited people are to see the transformation inside for themselves and it will be a fantastic start for the new year.
“With more than 1,800 local people having contributed to the redesign of the museum and the stories it will tell, it will be a welcoming place for all our communities to call their own.”
The museum project has been funded by Renfrewshire Council, with additional funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, and the Scottish Government, as well as private fundraising.
