Introduction
It’s a story that we’re uniquely placed to tell—on the site of the oldest surviving passenger railway station, in the heart of the world’s first industrial city, today alive with innovative cutting-edge discoveries in science and technology.
We care for a globally important heritage site comprising 5 listed buildings, two of them listed Grade 1. The museum site was the original terminus of the world’s first inter-city railway and our characteristic 1830 Warehouse epitomises Manchester’s 19th-century reputation as the warehouse of the western world.
We combine the distinctive appeal of our historic site with a vibrant contemporary science programme, making connections between the past and the present, between scientific theory and real-world applications.
One of the flagship events in our cultural calendar, bringing science to life for people of all ages, is the vibrant 11-day Manchester Science Festival which takes place across the city. Each October it attracts the best scientists from Manchester and beyond to showcase current research and promote the region’s rich heritage of innovation.
The museum is part of the Science Museum Group, which encompasses the Science Museum, the National Railway Museum and the National Media Museum.
Reason to Be Selected
Details
British Rail closed Liverpool Road Station in 1975. The buildings were generally in a poor state as the decline in goods traffic over many years had made the station increasingly uneconomic, resulting in the neglect of building maintenance. Greater Manchester County Council was interested in acquiring the site for museum use, but had failed to reach an agreement with British Rail by January 1978 when the Liverpool Road Station Society was formed.
The twin aims of the Society were to secure the preservation of the station as a museum and ensure that there was suitable celebration of the 150th anniversary. In late 1978, Greater Manchester Council finally reached an agreement with British Rail whereby the Council purchased most of the station site for the token sum of £1 and British Rail contributed £100,000 towards the repair and restoration costs.
The first phase of restoration, culminating in the opening of the Museum on 15 September 1983, brought the Station Agent's House, Passenger Station, Transit Shed and part of the ground floor of the Lower Byrom Street Warehouse back into use. Seventeen years later, the 'Final Phase' of restoration, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund, was completed in September 2000.
Recommended
Lat: | 53.4722 |
Lng: | -2.22359 |
Type: | |
Region: | Europe |
Scale: | Building |
Field: | Facility |
City: | Manchester |