CGI images of how the Science and Industry Museum's reimagined Power Hall: The Law Family Gallery could look when it reopens this summer have now been released.
The images, created by award-winning designers Studio MUTT, give visitors an idea of what they can expect to see in advance of the reopening of the hall, which was closed to the public for urgent repairs in 2019.
In this time, the museum has collaborated with architect and lead designer Carmody Groake to reimagine and improve the Power Hall experience and conserve the building's history, and with Studio MUTT to create an engaging interpretation of the historic collection through the exhibition design. This reimagined space will allow visitors to rediscover their favourite objects from fresh perspectives, and uncover the stories behind those who powered and continue to power Manchester’s industry. The Power Hall will explore the building blocks of the relationship between human and engine that was born in Manchester and endures to this day.
Alongside these new experiences, the much-loved exhibits and atmosphere that visitors will recall from before 2019 will be retained. The space will provide a sensory experience through the sounds, smells and sights of Manchester's past and present industry, and be a lively, working gallery full of engines and rail vehicles.
Three main themes will guide visitors through the hall:
- Making More will explore how engines helped people to make more, faster—featuring the steam engines that factory and mill owners eagerly installed to boost their productivity and profits from the 1800s onwards, at a cost to people and the environment.
- Powering Lives will examine how engines power the electricity network we plug into, and touch on how today's scientists and engineers are developing greener ways to power our lives.
- Connecting Places will take a closer look at how people used locomotives to connect communities around the world. Starting at the site of the museum, which in 1830 was the Manchester terminus of the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway, sparking a transport revolution.
Kate Chatfield, Interpretation and Content Manager at the Science and Industry Museum, said:
'Power Hall: The Law Family Gallery will be a must-see Manchester experience—a living gallery that showcases a unique collection of historic 19th and early 20th century working engines to tell the story of Manchester as an epicentre for the engine-driven ideas and industry that shaped the world as we know it today.
'Our most iconic objects will be available to explore like never before as we bring to life the people behind the power through stories of the engineers, makers and technicians who use their skills and senses to create and care for engines, both today and in the past.'
The work to reimagine the hall is part of a multi-million-pound regeneration project currently taking place across the Science and Industry Museum. This regeneration aims to conserve the museum's historic buildings and reveal new spaces for all visitors to enjoy, play and learn in. Since closing in 2019, the hall has undergone crucial restoration works to futureproof it for years to come, including urgent roof and timber repairs, new windows and doors and wider building conservation.
The accessible gallery will complement the building's grand, historic industrial architecture, with the design working seamlessly with the new architectural interventions in the space to create a visitor experience that engages all the senses. The Power Hall sits at the heart of the Science and Industry Museum's vision to deliver a sector-leading programme of decarbonisation, that places zero carbon technologies at the centre of the visitor experience and creating a sustainable museum for the future.
Further information about what to see and do and the Power Hall's opening date will be announced in the coming weeks. Sign up to the museum's mailing list to be among the first to hear more.
In the meantime, visitors can read some fascinating online stories celebrating the stories of women who will be featured in the Power Hall, the historic railway engines that are on display showcasing a century of innovation, and the modern-day stories of local people working with engines.
Power Hall: The Law Family Gallery project has been made possible with support from The Law Family Charitable Foundation, the Wolfson Foundation, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Headley Trust, Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, Atmos International, The Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust, The Zochonis Charitable Trust and other donors who choose to remain anonymous.
Special thanks to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for their significant contribution to the gallery, and to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for funding the decarbonisation of the Power Hall through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, delivered by Salix Finance.
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For more information, contact Press and PR Manager Joe Goulding on 0161 696 7804 joe.goulding@scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk
Key collaborators on the Power Hall restoration and gallery reimagination project:
- Architect, Principal Designer and Lead Designer: Carmody Groarke
- Main Contractor: HH Smiths & Sons
- Project Manager: Gardiner & Theobald
- Cost Consultant: Appleyard & Trew
- M&E Engineer: Max Fordham with Advisian (Borehole consultant)
- Structural Engineer: Conisbee
- Heritage Consultant: Donald Insall Associates
- Planning Consultant: Deloitte
- Building Control: Align Building Control
- Exhibition and Interpretation Design: Studio MUTT
Notes to editors
About the Science and Industry Museum
The Science and Industry Museum tells the story of where science met industry and the modern world began. Manchester was one of the first global industrial cities, and its epic rise, decline and resurrection has been echoed in countless other cities around the world.
The museum's mission is to inspire all its visitors, including future scientists and inventors, with the story of how ideas can change the world, from the industrial revolution to today and beyond.
The Science and Industry Museum site is on the site of the Liverpool Road Station terminus of the Liverpool Manchester Railway, the world's first purpose-built passenger railway. Among its internationally significant buildings are the world's first passenger railway station and the oldest existing railway goods warehouse. In total there are two Grade I listed buildings and four Grade II listed buildings on the site.
The museum is currently undergoing a multi-million-pound regeneration project that will see brand new spaces opened and significant improvements made to some of its best-loved galleries.
The Science and Industry Museum is part of the Science Museum Group, a family of museums which also includes the Science Museum in London; the National Railway Museum in York and Shildon; and the Science and Media Museum in Bradford. The Science Museum Group is devoted to the history and contemporary practice of science, medicine, technology, industry and media. With five million visitors each year and an unrivalled collection, it is the most significant group of museums of science and innovation worldwide.
About The Law Family Charitable Foundation
The Law Family Charitable Foundation has supported a wide range of charities principally in education, culture, health and the environment. Andrew Law is the Chairman and CEO of Caxton Associates, a global macro hedge fund. Andrew attended state school in Manchester, and subsequently graduated from Sheffield University, with a First Class Honours Degree in Economics. He spent his early career at County NatWest and Chemical Bank, before Goldman Sachs in 1996. He joined the London office of Caxton in 2003, was appointed Chief Investment Officer globally in early 2008, and to his current position effective January 2012. Andrew is Chairman of Speakers for Schools, through the Law Family Education Trust the sponsor of The Laurus Trust, a Manchester based Multi Academy Trust with 14 schools, a Board member of the Sutton Trust, and former Deputy Chair of the New Schools Network.
About the Wolfson Foundation
The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to support civil society by investing in excellent projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts. Since it was established in 1955, some £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) has been awarded to more than 12,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.
About the National Lottery Heritage Fund
As the largest dedicated funder of the UK's heritage, the National Lottery Heritage Fund's vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6 billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment. We help protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are. We are passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people's lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy. Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund