A FIRST look at a popular Northern attraction’s £40million refurbishment has been revealed.
The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester is currently undergoing restoration works to reimagine and improve the attraction’s Power Hall experience.
The attraction welcomes more than 700,000 tourists a year.
The Power Hall was closed in 2019 for urgent repairs and is expected to reopen this summer with new experiences and previous, loved exhibits.
A sensory experience will be created in the space, with sounds, smell and sights of Manchester’s past and present industry, including a gallery full of engines and rail vehicles.
The hall will feature three main themes – ‘Making More’, ‘Powering Lives’ and ‘Connecting Places’.
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Making More will focus on how engines helped people to make more and make it faster.
It will feature steam engines that factory and mill owners installed to boost productivity and ultimately, profit from the 1800s onwards.
Powering Lives will them look at how engines power the electricity network we plug into and explore how today’s scientists and engineers are developing greener ways to power our lives.
Finally, Connecting Places will take a closer look at how people used trains to connect people around the world.
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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.
“[It] 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.”
Work to reimagine the Power Hall is part of a £40million regeneration project at the museum.
Overall, the project aims to conserves the museum’s historic buildings and reveal new spaces for visitors to enjoy, play and learn in.
Urgent restoration works have included roof repairs, new windows and doors and wider building conservation.
The New Warehouse, the 1830 Viaduct and Gantry are expected to be completed by this summer and further repair works will be completed by 2030.
A new 725-square-metre gallery space has also recently opened at the museum, hosting science exhibitions and experiences.
Over the next decade, there will also be a Wonderlab, science playground, a STEM learning hub, outdoor spaces and more through-routes connecting different ares of the museum.
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There is also a ‘World first’ underwater attraction to open in the UK with submerged escape rooms and scuba lessons, this summer.
Plus, the new £437million UK attraction set to reopen in 2026 following four-year renovation.
