Museum of Science and Industry (Manchester)

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Museum of Science and Industry
File:MOSI.jpg
This structure marks the entrance to the museum and reflects its science/industrial themes
Museum of Science and Industry (Manchester) is located in Greater Manchester
Museum of Science and Industry (Manchester)
Location within Greater Manchester
Established 15 September 1983
Location Liverpool Road, Manchester
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Type Science museum
Visitors 830,000 (2011)[1]
Public transit access Metroshuttle Bus interchange – Green Route
Website www.mosi.org.uk
Science Museum Group
File:Air and Space Hall MOSI.JPG
Exterior of the museum's Air and Space Hall
File:Kamikaze-ManchesterMSI.jpg
A kamikaze Ohka aircraft in exhibition
The museum's Avro Shackleton

The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Manchester, England, is a large museum devoted to the development of science, technology and industry with emphasis on the city's achievements in these fields. The museum is part of the Science Museum Group, a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, having merged with the National Science Museum in 2012.[2]

There are extensive displays on the theme of transport (cars, aircraft, railway locomotives and rolling stock), power (water, electricity, steam and gas engines), Manchester's sewerage and sanitation, textiles, communications and computing.

The museum is an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage; and is situated on the site of the world's first railway station – Manchester Liverpool Road – which opened as part of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in September 1830. The railway station frontage and 1830 warehouse are both Grade I listed. The museum also offers steam train rides at weekends and on bank holidays.

History

The museum was originally called the North Western Museum of Science and Industry when it opened in 1969 in temporary premises on Grosvenor Street in Chorlton-on-Medlock. It had close ties with UMIST, having mostly grown out of the Department of History of Science & Technology.

In 1978, the Greater Manchester Council purchased the earliest part of the former Liverpool Road Station from British Rail, which had been closed in 1975. The council paid the nominal sum of £1 for the site. The museum opened at this site on 15 September 1983 and later expanded to include the whole of the former station.[3]

Since 2007 the museum has organised an annual science festival in Manchester.

In 2014, it was announced Sally MacDonald would become director of MOSI. MacDonald left her role as head of collections at University College London and succeeded Jean Franczyk as director.[4]

Exhibitions

Exhibits at the Museum of Science and Industry include:

Aircraft:

Computing:

Locomotives:

A Connected Earth gallery that tells the history of communications in Manchester and the North West of England opened in October 2007.

Past exhibits include:

The Railway

On selected dates, visitors may ride on demonstration passenger trains within the museum grounds. Trains are hauled by the museum's two operational steam locomotives:

The museum's railway line is connected to the national rail network near Ordsall Lane Junction. However, Network Rail's proposed Ordsall Chord railway link will sever the main line connection to MOSI and dramatically reduce the scale of the museum's railway operations. Should the scheme go ahead, then the museum's public train rides are likely to cease running in late 2014.[needs update]

Industrial machines

File:MOSI Galloway 5424.JPG
The last steam engine ever built to power a mill.
File:Ring spinning frame MOSI Textile Hall 6412.JPG
Spinning machine

The museum exhibits the large collection of stationary steam engines, hot air engines, diesel engines, hydraulic pumps, large electric generators and other similar machines. Most of these machines are operational and occasionally can be seen running. This exhibit includes the last stationary steam engine newly build to power a mill.

There is also the exhibit of spinning and weaving machines that cover all steps from wool to textile. These machines are also functional and run for a few minutes at scheduled times.

See also

References

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  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons

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