The landmark facility – a centrepiece of life in the town for more than 140 years – has been refurbished by Renfrewshire Council.
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The curtain is set to be raised on Paisley Town Hall in the coming weeks after the iconic A-listed building underwent a £22 million transformation.
The landmark facility – a centrepiece of life in the town for more than 140 years – has been refurbished as part of a wider investment by Renfrewshire Council in its historic cultural venues.
Architects have worked to preserve and restore its unique and ornate Victorian features, while integrating the modernisation required of a 21st-century space.
Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, chair of OneRen, said: “Paisley Town Hall will be the area’s big stage and we are delighted the curtain is now coming up.
“We believe this will be among Scotland’s finest entertainment venues – the building has a wow factor and the feedback we’ve had from those who’ve seen inside so far backs that up.
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“It has been at the heart of life in the town for more than a century but had become tired and needed upgraded – the work done over the past few years will keep it in use for future generations.”
The renovation included a complete redesign by architectural practice Holmes Miller.
New rooms have been added in previously unused spaces, including a bar and terrace overlooking Paisley Abbey, dance studio and screening room.
State-of-the-art performance facilities, such as new sound and lighting, retractable seating and a lowered stage, have also been added.
The audience experience has been transformed, with improved acoustics, room for pop-up bars and repositioned seating for better sightlines.
Importantly, major improvements have been made to accessibility with new lifts and ramps – according to the council, previously only 20 per cent of the public areas were fully accessible but this is now 80 per cent.
Councillor Hughes added: “We’ve preserved the 19th-century grandeur that people know and love, while seamlessly integrating all the modern facilities you could hope for from a 21st-century venue.
“At the same time, modern standards of accessibility are very different to those Victorian architects worked to.
“The town hall has been redesigned with audience experience and comfort in mind, and we’ve made extensive changes to the layout to create step-free access to most areas of the building.”
The town hall will be the main venue for the Royal National Mòd – Scotland’s largest celebration of Gaelic language and culture – when it comes to Paisley between October 13 and October 21.
Before then, it will host a special performance by Paisley Opera of Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’ – set in 1970s Paisley – with support from the Scottish Opera orchestra and local dance group Right2Dance, on Friday, October 6 and Saturday, October 7. The town hall will be operated by OneRen – the charitable trust providing culture, leisure and sporting opportunities in Renfrewshire.
It will deliver a year-round programme of events and performances in the town hall, which will also be available for weddings, conferences and other events.
Construction was completed in the town hall in July.
And the finishing touches were put in place as the venue has been fitted out over the past few weeks.
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