Paisley Museum closed in September 2018 for what was then billed as a £42 million transformation into a “world-class attraction”. It was due to reopen in 2022, but the project has been beset by repeated delays and spiralling costs, with the budget having ballooned to £68.7 million.
With the construction milestone complete, work is now beginning to fill the freshly painted museum walls with displays.
Officials at Renfrewshire Council have said the new museum will bring thousands of visitors to the town each year and boost the local economy.
Here is what we know so far about the museum’s reopening, construction delays, cost, and what visitors can expect from the new venue.
When will Paisley Museum re-open?
New building extension looking towards café terrace (Image: Renfrewshire Council)
Construction was completed in February 2026, and the museum is projected to reopen in the second half of 2026, but officials have yet to set a firm opening date.
Curators will now begin the complex fit-out and installation process, which is expected to take months. A date will be set once this stage is completed, though the project has a record of missed targets.
Why has Paisley Museum been delayed so many times?
Inside one of the renovated display spaces (Image: Renfrewshire Council)
The reopening of the museum is running four years behind schedule.
The transformation of the museum is the first major refurbishment in the building’s 150-year history. The complex renovation involved work across four historic buildings, including the A-listed main museum and the adjacent Coats Observatory, delivering structural repairs, a new build extension, and a significant internal reconfiguration.
Renfrewshire Council and OneRen, the council’s leisure arm, said that contractor Kier had encountered a number of “unforeseen issues” which had impacted the timeline. These included rotted roof joists, dry rot, wet rot, asbestos, and historic drainage failures. They also cited knock-on impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, including inflation and material shortages.
New building extension looking down towards Paisley High Street (Image: Renfrewshire Council)
How much has it cost?
The total budget is now £24 million more than the original 2019 forecast (roughly 57% higher).
Renfrewshire Council is the largest single funder, having contributed top ups of £12.5 million in December 2024 and £4.5 million in November 2025.
The project also received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, Regeneration Capital Grant funding from the Scottish Government, £200,000 from the Wolfson Foundation, and various other donations from a charitable fundraising campaign.
The current price tag is sitting at £68.7 million, and concerns have been raised that running costs could be higher than original projections once the museum opens.
What can we expect from the collection?
Inside new welcome foyer, looking back towards the entrance (Image: Renfrewshire Council)
The Paisley Museum collection contains 350,000 items, from art and archaeology to natural history, science, textiles, and more. This includes the world’s largest collection of more than a thousand Paisley Shawls, an impressive collection of 20th century studio ceramics and a significant Natural History collection.
Working from the town’s Secret Collection, the Museum team have worked on around 100 displays – many of which have been co-produced with local people and groups from across the world.
What will the new Paisley Museum be like?
The museum redesign was led by international architects AL_A. The most striking feature is a new dramatic red-glass accessible entrance and panoramic extension on the High Street.
The A-listed main building and the Coats Observatory have undergone significant external and internal repairs. The galleries on every floor have been modernised, and the exhibition space has been doubled. A new wing connects the museum to the observatory for the first time. Dedicated learning spaces, a heritage centre, and a new café-restaurant and shop have also been introduced as part of the revamp.
A new outdoor garden and public space have been created which opens up previously hidden views of Scotland’s largest observatory.
The reopened museum is expected to draw thousands of visitors to Paisley town centre each year.
The new cultural flagship has been billed as the jewel in the crown of the Renfrewshire town’s redevelopment – part of an ongoing cultural renaissance initiative that has seen more than £100 million invested in capital projects over the last decade.
These include the £22million transformation of Paisley Town Hall, a £7million development of Paisley Learning and Cultural Hub housing Paisley Central Library on the High Street, and a £3million refurbishment of Paisley Arts Centre.
In addition, the new £85.5 million state-of-the-art Paisley Grammar School Community Campus will open its doors to pupils and staff this year, a multi-phase regeneration masterplan is underway in Paisley’s West End to deliver new social and private housing, and the community-led ‘Making of Ferguslie’ plan is delivering tangible regeneration to Ferguslie Park.