The Science and Industry Museum has been working with Manchester City Council, who own the Air and Space Hall, to explore sustainable options for its future and recently announced that the museum will no longer lease the historic Lower Campfield Market Hall building.
The team at the museum have temporarily adapted this Grade II listed building to enable the move of large aircraft and collections. Alongside the temporary alterations to the building, the conservation team carefully prepared the objects for their move.
The majority of the items in the Air and Space Hall were on loan from our partners. These objects have been returned and plans for their future display are being made. Much of the collection has remained in the North West.
Many of the well-loved objects from the Science Museum Group Collection will continue to be shown in future displays. The 1905 Rolls Royce motorcar used by Henry Royce himself, is currently exhibited in the Revolution Manchester gallery. The museum collection, including objects of scale, will continue to be used to tell the story of aeronautics in the North West and will be used in future galleries to showcase the huge contribution the region has made in aviation history.
Key stories such as how Manchester's motor manufacturers have used progressive methods to produce some of the most iconic cars to have motored on our roads (including the Ford Model T) and around Manchester's thrilling history of cycling innovation and triumphs (including bicycles dating from the 1800s) will also continue to be told in future displays at the museum.
The items that were on loan to us, are as follows:
Items on loan
The Science Museum Group carries out regular reviews of its collections and has recently completed a review of the aviation collection. It is important for us to do this to see how we can best tell the stories of ideas that changed the world. Some of the objects that we have in our collections will be transferred to places where their stories are a better fit. For example, the Trident was not manufactured in the North West and the story of the Manchester to London shuttle, operated by similar aircraft can be told well through the museum’s existing archive material. Therefore, it has been decided to transfer these objects to the De Havilland Museum for them to continue to tell the story and to engage new audiences.
The following items will be transferred to new homes where they will be on display:
Transferred items
Visitors in Manchester will also be welcomed when they visit Greater Manchester Transport Museum, Bury Transport Museum, Avro Heritage Museum, Runway Visitor Park, North West Museum of Road Transport and other Greater Manchester Transport Heritage partner venues to view heritage transport collections nearby.
The museum's historic New Warehouse, which houses the Revolution Manchester, Textiles and Special Exhibitions galleries remains open, with a changing programme of major special exhibitions, and events for visitors of all ages. The rest of the 7-acre museum is currently undergoing a multi-million pound restoration programme to carry out crucial conservation and renovation work across its listed buildings and structures, bringing to life the story of the site, revealing new spaces and perspectives for all visitors to enjoy, play and learn in and creating a more sustainable museum. The museum's much-loved Power Hall is due to reopen in 2024.
