Museum celebrates £4 million funding windfall

Plans to revamp Paisley Museum were given a £4million funding boost yesterday.

Local government minister Kevin Stewart MSP visited the iconic High Street building to announce the funding from the Scottish Government and COSLA.

The £4m is part of the estimated £42m total cost of the revamp.

The museum will close later this year and reopen in 2022 with a new extension housing a cafe and shop, improvements to all four museum buildings, including Coats Observatory, and changes to access.

An internal redesign will also double the number of objects on display.

The £42m project is central to a planned £100m-plus investment in Paisley town centre venues and infrastructure and part of a wider plan to transform the area.

Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson said:“Paisley’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021 raised awareness of our unique story to a worldwide audience, and the museum project is central to a wider set of plans to build on that momentum.”

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