Scotland’s oldest public observatory to have telescopes and dome room repaired

Museums Galleries Scotland has awarded £12,500 to leisure and cultural charity OneRen to carry out the work at Coats Observatory in Paisley, part of the town’s museum campus.

The refracting telescopes by Thomas Cooke of York and Howard Grubb of Dublin - as well as the original 1884 observer’s chair - are found within the manually-operated dome room and are part of the town’s nationally significant heritage collection. Repairs will begin this month.

They will see the telescope lenses cleaned, corrosion treated and a mechanical overhaul carried out to restore smooth and accurate movement to them.

The dome interior will also be repainted and cleaned, with rotation mechanisms lubricated and a trip hazard removed from the floor.

While the project is separate to the museum’s transformation, it will be completed in time to form part of the attraction’s reopening.

It will allow the dome room and telescopes to be opened to the public, with events planned which include regular public stargazing sessions, school visits and partnership events.

The pilot season programme is expected to attract up to 900 people, including STEM learning events, community engagement and scientific heritage interpretation.

Sean Kelly, Collections and Conservation Manager at OneRen / Paisley Museum, said: “We are absolutely delighted with this grant and grateful to Museums Galleries Scotland for their support.

“The Coats Observatory is unique - one of Renfrewshire's gems. The sights and experience of visiting it are remarkable. This work will allow more people to enjoy it as part of a fantastic new chapter for Paisley Museum.

“This is an incredibly important project which will safeguard a rare working collection for sustainable long-term use.”

Coats Observatory opened in 1883. Its repair plan has been developed alongside Historic Environment Scotland to ensure compliance with the building's Grade A listing.

Lucy Casot, Chief Executive of Museum Galleries Scotland, said: “We are delighted to support this restoration work through our Small Grants Fund. As well as safeguarding a significant item in OneRen’s collection, this project will create exciting new opportunities for education and engagement, inspiring more people to connect with science and heritage.”

The transformation of Paisley Museum is one of the United Kingdom’s most exciting cultural projects, attracting international interest. It is led by Renfrewshire Council and OneRen, which runs the region’s museums service and which will operate the attraction.

Work is underway on the exhibition fit-out following the completion of construction work.

The historic fabric of the observatory means that some visitors with mobility issues may not be able to access the dome room. For those unable to reach it, an accessible telescope experience is being created at ground level.