Museum of Science and Industry

This exhibition marks the Museum's 25th anniversary at Liverpool Road Station. It tells the story of how the Museum transformed a semi-derelict goods station into an award-winning museum that is now the most-visited in the Manchester area.

The first permanent gallery completed for the 1983 opening of the Greater Manchester Museum of Science and Industry was the Power Hall, still one of the most popular galleries today. Within three years, annual visitor numbers had reached 330,000 and the Museum had gained a fifth building, the Air & Space Hall. Restoring the four listed railway buildings has been an expensive and lengthy challenge, which was completed in 2000.

These refurbished buildings provide a fanatastic backdrop for our permanent galleries, events and temporary exhibitions. Artists have relished the chance to create and show works ranging from paper sculptures to laser-activated virtual sculptures. The opening of the Special Exhibition Gallery in 1995 allowed the Museum to start hosting blockbuster exhibitions ranging from animatronic dinosaurs to science fiction.

The exhibition also looks how changes in Manchester's economy have shaped our collecting during the last 25 years. This provides the opportunity to display objects that have been hidden in our stores, together with some very recent additions. Some of these, such as the loading doors from the Hacienda night club, might surprise you!