A project to restore one of the UK’s most beloved industrial heritage galleries has been given a welcome boost thanks to money raised by players of The National Lottery.
The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester has today confirmed that it has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £225,000 to support the project to re-imagine its iconic Power Hall gallery.
The Power Hall houses one of the UK’s largest collections of working steam engines. It has been temporarily closed since 2019 to allow for major conservation works to the roof and an internal re-display. When it reopens, the multi-sensory gallery will have a renewed focus on original historic machinery with a compelling connection to Manchester, telling stories of the relationship between humans and engines and showcasing the impact skilled engineers and technicians had and continue to have on the world today. As well as delving into Manchester’s pioneering past, the gallery will demonstrate cutting-edge sustainable technologies and explore the city’s role in the next (green) revolution.
The Heritage Fund grant will mean visitors continue to benefit from the gallery’s world-class display of historic working machinery into the future by supporting the development of a volunteer programme dedicated to these objects, where valuable skills and knowledge can be preserved and shared.
As part of Power Hall’s regeneration works, the museum is also embarking on a sector-leading decarbonisation scheme. The funding will support the museum to run its historic, fossil fuel-powered engines using green 21st century technology to recreate the movements that once powered Manchester’s industries. It will also aid the conservation and maintenance of the machines, keeping them operating in line with the museum’s net-zero goal.
Through the grant, Power Hall will also be re-established a space where everyone can explore and enjoy the ideas, technologies and machines that started life in Manchester and went on to change the world. It will fund community consultation events aimed at improving the learning experiences on offer inside the gallery, as well as vital research that will see the museum expand its storytelling, with a specific focus on the innovative sustainable technologies that have been incorporated as part of Power Hall’s restoration.
Sally MacDonald, director of the Science and Industry Museum, said: “We are delighted to have received this substantial grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. It gives us a huge opportunity to breathe new life into our world-class collection through improved storytelling and make clear connections between the impact of technologies developed right here in Manchester with people, industries and places across the world.
“The funding also means we can work even more closely with our local audiences to help bridge the STEM skills gap in Greater Manchester by inspiring the engineers and innovators of the future.
