Thanks to Renfrewshire Council who supplied the images from Paisley Town Hall, whilst the huge transformation and refurbishment of the building is ongoing.
It’s been a while since we gave you a behind-the-scenes look at the ongoing transformation of Paisley Town Hall – but here’s how the building is currently shaping up.
The work we’re doing will turn inside of this much-loved 140-year-old building into a landmark entertainment venue, and keep it at the heart of local life for future generations.
It includes increasing the main-hall capacity, adding new rooms and uses, installing modern performance and back-of-house facilities, and transforming the audience experience, while preserving the classic architectural features that make Paisley Town Hall so special.
Most of the heavy construction work and alterations to rooms have now been completed. That includes a full replacement of the outdated mechanical and electrical systems, with the building now close to being fully rewired.
Here’s what you can see in the pictures:
- The iconic main hall (viewed from the top balcony and from above the stage area) where, as you can see, the architectural detail in the ceiling has been painstakingly restored
- The new digital lounge (the former North Minor Hall) which will be fitted out with a big screen and seating to allow small screenings and other events
- The former Alexander Wilson Suite where workers have lifted, repaired, and are now reinstalling the old wooden floor from the main hall
- The new dance studio, a new room created in formerly-empty space on the first floor, with views out on to Gauze Street
- The Loggia, which has had its ceiling repaired and will shortly see a new floor installed
- The new bar, in a room previously used as a store, with great views out over the river and Abbey Gardens
We also took a trip up the clock tower for some views you might never have seen before – looking out over the town centre from the back of the building, what you can see through the tower windows, and the view inside the clock itself!
Over the next few months, we and our contractors Morrison Construction will be finishing off the construction, which is due to be complete in the summer.
After that we’ll hand the empty building over to our colleagues at OneRen who will fit it out with furniture, fixtures and equipment, and get the building and its staff ready to open its doors to the public.
The town hall will be reopen in time to host the Royal National Mod (Scotland’s largest celebration of Gaelic culture) in October. After that, OneRen will have an exciting programme of events which will help drive new activity and footfall to the town centre.
The work is part of our much bigger investment in Paisley’s cultural venues, which includes the transformation of Paisley Museum into a world-class visitor destination, a refurbishment of Paisley Arts Centre, and a new home for library services in a formerly vacant retail unit on the High Street.