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Castlefield's changing face

Angela Kelly
27/ 8/2008

MANCHESTER’s Museum of Science and Industry is celebrating 25 years of enthralling visitors with a special exhibition of its own.

The museum moved into its current Castlefield home when the old Liverpool Road railway station was sold, but by then it was in such disrepair it changed hands for just £1.

It took five years of costly restoration before MoSI’s main gallery, the Power Hall, could open – but it has certainly proved an enduring attraction.

Over time, the buildings were gradually transformed, including areas which had been originally built specifically for station use.

Pauline Webb, the museum’s collections manager, said: "What had been made for goods handling and storage, for example, did not automatically lend itself to exhibits and people visiting, so vast amounts of work were needed."

The way MoSI developed reflected the regeneration of Manchester in general and of Castlefield in particular.

"The last 25 years have seen huge changes in Manchester’s science and industry, as the city and region moves away from the core products of manufacturing and engineering and into the service sector and creative industries," she said.

"The Museum of Science and Industry is very much part of this story as we are ourselves based in the original railway buildings which are part of Manchester’s industrial past, and our collections reflect the changes in the city’s economy."

For a long time, she added, it was also "a flagship for the regeneration of Castlefield," and where it led, developers followed to turn the run-down district into a vibrant and popular zone complete with modern housing.

Manchester Museum of Science and Technology first opened in 1969 at the former Oddfellows Hall on Grosvenor Street, Chorlton on Medlock. It had long been in the planning and was a product of a funding partnership between the University of Manchester, UMIST and Manchester City Council.

The new exhibition, The Making of MoSI, celebrates its quarter of a century in Castlefield, and history starts as soon as you walk through the doors. For these are the loading bay doors taken from legendary Haçienda nightclub. The exhibition also includes little-seen pieces normally behind the scenes in museum stores, including a jacquard loom which once wove fibreglass used in Concorde and a replica electric chair used as part of an illusionist’s act at Belle Vue.

There is also newly acquired scientific equipment from the pioneering Daresbury Laboratory and the museum’s most expensive purchase – a 1909 Crossley limousine car that cost £55,000.

Within three years of its opening, the museum had added the National Electricity Gallery and the Greater Manchester Air and Space Hall.

In 1990, it was voted Museum of the Year jointly with the Imperial War Museum, in recognition of the progress it had made. Since then it has continued its expansion.

In 1995, a Heritage Lottery Fund grant led to the establishment of the Textiles Gallery and a new changing exhibition area. The Futures Gallery was added in 1998, and in 2002, the Xperiment! Gallery opened to appeal to younger visitors by mixing learning with fun.

In 2004, the Manchester Science gallery opened, showcasing the main scientific developments in the region, and Connecting Manchester – with its focus on communications –- came along in 2007.

As well as impressive permanent exhibitions, the museum also has the capacity for large temporary exhibitions like the massively popular Dr Who exhibition, Dinosaurs, the Titanic and, currently, Body Worlds.

Last year, more than 800,000 people visited the Museum of Science and Industry and it’s a safe bet that the latest commemorative exhibition will continue this trend.

As Pauline Webb concluded: "From the traditional looms of Manchester’s cotton mills to the lights of Sankeys Soap nightclub, this exhibition is a fascinating glimpse into the story of the city’s most-visited museum – and a reminder of just how much our city has developed in the recent past."

The Making of MoSI runs until January 4, 2009. For opening times and directions visit www.mosi.org.uk or ring 0161 832 2244.