Art Gallery And Library, Museum, 68 High Street, Paisley is a Grade A listed building in the Renfrewshire local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 26 February 1971. Museum, art gallery, library. 5 related planning applications.

Art Gallery And Library, Museum, 68 High Street, Paisley

WRENN ID
solitary-minaret-solstice
Grade
A
Local Planning Authority
Renfrewshire
Constituency
Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP: Johanna Baxter (Lab)
Country
Scotland
Date first listed
26 February 1971
Type
Museum, art gallery, library
Address
Art Gallery And Library, Museum, 68 High Street, Paisley, PA1 2BA
OS grid reference
NS 479 640
Coordinates
55.84527, -4.43032
Source
Historic Environment Scotland listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Art Gallery and Library, also known as the Museum, located at 68 High Street in Paisley, was designed by architect John Honeyman in 1868, with additions made by him in 1881, a further east wing added in 1902 by Honeyman and Keppie, and additional work by T.G. Abercrombie in 1913, followed by an extension in 1933 by Keppie and Henderson. The building features a Greek Ionic style and is set on a banded podium with a single storey.

The original western section includes a pedimented advanced portico supported by four Ionic columns, which is accessed by steps. This portico is flanked by three bays on each side, with the end bays being blind and bordered by antae. The inner bays, set behind engaged Ionic columns, have pilastered corniced windows and a cill course. The left return elevation features a semi-circular apse with three blind panels.

The 1902 extension to the east consists of one entrance bay and a projecting wing that has a pedimented portico of four Ionic columns, along with one recessed bay to the right that features a pilastered and corniced bipartite window above the door. All sections of the building have a full entablature and slate roofs.

The 1933 easternmost extension is designed in a stripped classical style, comprising a single storey over a basement with one bay. It includes an inset window with block decoration and a rosette above. The return elevation is similarly detailed, except it has five basement windows and a flat roof.

Inside, the Museum and Art Gallery contains several galleries, with the front gallery featuring a galleried design supported by cast-iron brackets and a glazed roof with collar beams. At the back, there is a circular landing on the stairs, supported by eight Corinthian columns that hold up a coffered cupola.

Local climate

Art Gallery And Library, Museum, 68 High Street, Paisley sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,280 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 94% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 86% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 50 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 91% of listed buildings. Of these, 27 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.2°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 5 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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