THE Paisley Town Hall will honour a local legend when it reopens next year after a £22m refurbishment.
As decided by Renfrewshire's Provost Lorraine Cameron, new and existing rooms in the A-listed building will soon be named after acclaimed artist and playwright John Byrne.
Bryne was born in Paisley and went on to become one of the area's 'most famous sons' described as 'a true Scottish cultural colossus'.
The new rooms at the Town Hall will include a lounge bar, digital lounge and dance studio all named after character's from one of the artist's best-loved works Cuttin' A Rug.
The play centres on a works night out in the town hall and is part of Byrne’s acclaimed Slab Boys trilogy, based on his own experiences of working in Stoddard’s carpet factory in Elderslie as a young man.
Provost Cameron, who earlier this year awarded him the Freedom of Renfrewshire, said: “Paisley Town Hall is a special place for all Buddies, and each of us will have our own links to and memories of it.
“Paisley has always been home to great cultural innovators, and John Byrne is one of the best.
"It’s fitting that in the year he is awarded the Freedom of Renfrewshire that we can ensure one of his best-loved works, Cuttin’ a Rug, is permanently marked in the building in which it is set.
"The work happening now will keep this beautiful building at heart of local life and preserve its much-loved architectural features, but with new facilities allowing it to host bigger and better events and more uses, bringing new life and footfall into the town, day and night."
The town hall work is being taken forward by Renfrewshire Council as part of a wider investment in the town’s cultural venues.
