Coats Observatory is a unique attraction and one of Paisley??™s hidden gems.

Public Observatories are only found in Scotland, and Paisley is one of only four in existence (Edinburgh, Airdrie, Dundee and Paisley). The Grade 1 listed building was gifted to the people of Paisley by Thomas Coats and designed by Glasgow Architect John Honeyman in 1884 and has been welcoming everyone with an interest in astronomy ever since.

Visiting the building is a great experience. With a pleasing quirkiness, access to the tower is reached via beautiful tiled walkway spiralling upwards towards the telescope, passing a wonderful antique brass Orrery (working model of the Solar System), weather and earthquake measuring equipment. The Observatory also has a planetarium, which gives visitors a tour of the night sky without having to leave the comfort of their chair ??“ ideal if the weather happens to be bad.

There are now two telescopes available for the public to use on clear nights, the original big telescope in the observatory tower and now a new one in the Observatory Garden. This newer addition allows a bit more flexibility to viewing evenings, the larger one will be trained on a specific part of the sky while the Garden scope can be moved more easily to a variety of points throughout the evening. Although about half the size of the original scope it has the same strength, the technology has moved on so much in the intervening 100 years. Expert staff will be on hand to help identify and explain what you can see.

Information for visitors

Open: Tuesday - Saturday (and Public Holidays) 10am - 1pm, 2pm - 5pm

Sunday 2pm - 5pm

Closed Monday, except Public Holidays

Public viewing evenings: from last Tuesday in October to last Thursday in March, 6.30pm - 9.00pm

Admission is free

Viewings are weather dependant, the telescope can't be used in cloudy or windy conditions.

Level access to the Observatory foyer is available via Oakshaw Street. However the rest of the building is accessible only using stairs and is unsuitable for visitors with mobility problems.