Manchester’s popular Museum of Science and Industry is recently finalising a major multi-million pound conservation programme for this global site.
The next phase of the vast project will see the 140-year-old Grade II listed New Warehouse roof replaced, which will be no easy feat as it is almost the size of two Olympic swimming pools!
During the winter months, scaffolding will be installed over giant spaces in the new warehouse and will offer visitors the opportunity to see the engineering paintings in process.
The New Warehouse itself will remain open during the work and will offer a fantastic array of events, special exhibits and new displays alongside the museum’s permanent galleries.
Celebrating ideas that changed the world, the Museum of Science and Industry tells a story of the Industrial Revolution and beyond.
The museum’s impressive location really brings history to life as it is the former site of Liverpool Road Station, which was the very first intercity passenger station and located in the centre of the world’s first industrialised city.
The New Warehouse houses the main entrance for the museum alongside three permanent galleries including:
The venue has 3 floors and also includes 3 transient exhibitions, a café, a shop, and a convention space.
The ongoing paintings on the roof of the New Warehouse are being carried out by local architects and specialists in the recovery of historic and listed buildings, Contrefort, and will involve:
This major painting programme will ensure that the new warehouse is compatible with its objectives in the future, enabling the most productive exhibitions and reporting for museum visitors while also celebrating Manchester’s attractive commercial heritage.
Work on the new warehouse is expected to be completed by mid-2025.
Further work will also be happening across the site as part of the programme of work, including:
The painting programme has already included reclaiming the station agent’s space with the Landmark Trust, as well as paintings in the award-winning special exhibitions gallery, which opened in 2021.
The £14. 2 million allocation was funded through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Once all of the task is complete, the expansive will offer new reports for visitors, including:
We are very pleased that the next level of the multi-million pound site recovery task is underway. This is an exciting time as we perform major maintenance to our main museum building, adding a new roof with the logo. While that maintenance will cause some disruptions to Our Site, adding our largest scaffolding to date, ongoing adjustments will allow visitors to enjoy our museum for years to come. We have been in a position of relocation and transformation and the paintings in the new warehouse are our next step in ensuring sustainability. of our historic site.
This is a key milestone for the Museum of Science and Industry. The comprehensive maintenance and renovations reflect our commitment to ensuring that the new 140-year-old warehouse will welcome visitors for many years to come. It’s very exciting to redo the roof with a sustainable Welsh national slate. Traditional lead gutters have been reintroduced to cope with the increasing pressures imposed by excessive weather conditions.
Paints for fixing the roof also offer the possibility of obtaining particularly thermal performance; see the arrival of state-of-the-art wood fiber insulation; as well as highlighting the meticulous maintenance of the masonry, stone and windows that a construction of these dimensions requires.
The assignment will also include amenities that will allow inspections to monitor and determine the exact condition of the building.
Together with the team in charge, we hope to embark on this adventure to create a museum construction compatible with the 21st century.