Manchester Museum, is to reopen to the public on 18 February 2023 following a £15 million transformation.
As its most ambitious development in a generation, the capital project will increase exhibition space through a new extension and entrance, and offer new inclusive facilities for visitors, aiming to build greater understanding between cultures and a more sustainable world.
The museum reopens its doors with a revised mission all about levelling up for culture and putting the diverse communities of Manchester at the centre of programming, including its South Asian and Chinese diasporas.
The aim is to tell the diverse story of Manchester, taking a bold stance in dealing with its legacy of Empire and leading the way in the UK by introducing Indigenous interpretation across the Museum’s encyclopedic collection.
2023 is set to be a big cultural year for the City, with a host of new cultural venues opening including The Factory and Co-op Live. Manchester Museum will kick start this next February, marking an important year of cultural innovation for the city.
February 2023 marks the reopening of Manchester Museum, following its ambitious £15 million transformation. The museum reopens its doors with the aim to build greater understanding between cultures, a more sustainable world and to bring to life the lived experience of diverse communities through the Museum’s historic collections and new displays.
Esme Ward, Museum Director of Manchester Museum, says:
“February 2023 will mark a huge moment in Manchester Museum’s rich history as we open our doors following a major transformation. We have extended the building, making room for more joy and learning and evolving into the museum Manchester needs. Beautiful new galleries and exhibitions will showcase the best of the museum’s historic collections, as well as addressing the urgencies of the present day and highlighting the complexities of our world. We have also listened to advocates with lived experience, and inclusive new spaces and features are incorporated throughout. We can’t wait to welcome our visitors back.”
The public will be invited to new galleries including the South Asia Gallery, a British Museum partnership and the UK’s first permanent space to explore the lived experience of South Asian diaspora communities.
There will also be a new Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery, the Belonging Gallery, a brand new Dinosaur display and Golden Mummies of Egypt, its first blockbuster exhibition opening in the new Exhibition Hall.
Manchester Museum, part of The University of Manchester, first opened in 1890 and is recognised as one of the largest university museums in the UK.
The original neo-Gothic building, designed by renowned architect Alfred Waterhouse is home to around 4.5 million objects from natural sciences and human cultures.
Proud to be the world’s first Carbon Literate Museum, the museum has recycled and reused as much material within the museum during renovation works.
Purcell has designed a modern two-storey extension housing a major new Exhibition Hall and South Asia Gallery, alongside a new accessible entrance from Oxford Road and a new cafe and shop.
The extension is clad in green-glazed terracotta tiles and pays homage to craftsmanship as well as Victorian and Edwardian period buildings in Manchester.
Other new features include a Changing Places toilet, prayer room, quiet room, picnic area and a therapy room
