New entrance and gallery for Manchester
THE HISTORIC lower ground floor of one the 1882-built goods stores at Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum has been given a new lease of life as a £5m special exhibition gallery, thanks to a £3.8m government grant. The museum lies adjacent to Liverpool Road station, where the Liverpool & Manchester Railway originally terminated in 1825, and the grant also provides a new visitor entrance to the museum from the car park.
The renovation of the 725sqm Grade II-listed ‘New Warehouse’ reveals its industrial beauty with a modern design and opens it to public access for the first time. Built in brick, cast and wrought iron and sandstone to support the weight of rail wagons and their cargoes entering the building, key features include a steel and brick ‘jack arch’. This is the first stage in a longterm restoration plan to conserve and open more of the museum’s historic buildings. The 1830 viaduct and interlinked structures of the station building and adjacent 1830 warehouse will also be restored, with initial work starting this year.