Paisley Museum receives major award from the Wolfson Foundation

Paisley Museum will receive £200,000 in capital funding towards its transformation into a world-class cultural destination from the Wolfson Foundation.

More that 80 grants have been announced by the foundation with Paisley Museum receiving the highest heritage grant outside London.

When Paisely Museum reopens it is expected to attract 125,000 visits each year from Scotland, the UK and overseas and provide a £72 million economic boost to the area over the next 30 years.

The £42 million redevelopment of the museum is the signature project in Paisley's radical regeneration which also includes refurbishments of the town's A-listed town hall and a new learning and cultural hub housing library services on the town's high street.

The redesign of the museum campus is being led by an international team including architects AL_A and exhibition designers Opera Amsterdam and will allow the number of objects on display to increase by 100%.

Few places of Paisley's size have had such a global impact and this is reflected in the museum's internationally-significant holdings, which include an unrivalled collection of 1,200 Paisley shawls and vast natural history collections. They are currently being held in Paisley:The Secret Collection, the only publicly-accessible museum store on a UK high street.

The Museum's final phase of fundraising is now under way, with the recently launched museum website reimagined.paisleymuseum.org showcasing the project's ambitious vision. Paisley Museum Reimagined is supported by Renfrewshire Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Scottish Government's Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.

Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, Chair of Renfrewshire Leisure Ltd said:

'We are delighted the Wolfson Foundation is investing in the future of Paisley Museum..this significant sum brings us a step closer to radically transforming this prominent symbol of Paisley's past into a central part of our town's future. Investing in our venues is key to our recovery from the pandemic, as it will create jobs, support new and existing businesses in the area and drive new footfall to our town centre'.

Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of Wolfson Foundation commented:

'The scale of the ambition is extremely impressive and the new Museum campus will tell a glorious mix of local and global stories, all based on superb collections'.