The museum traces the history of the luxury shawl industry of Paisley and recreates the lost craft of the handloom weavers using authentic 150-year-old methods. The grand galleries also contain objects and displays relating to Paisley’s history, art, textiles and natural history, including studio ceramics and work by artists from the Glasgow School, the Scottish Colourists and the Paisley-born writer and artist John Byrne. The museum complex also includes Coats Observatory, a unique attraction housing displays of astonomical equipment.