Museum of Science and Industry

After 22 years of service in the Main Building at MOSI the ramps which started the prestigious career of architect Ian Simpson are currently being dismantled and taken out, as part of the Museum’s £7million redevelopment. Small sections of the ramps will be created into limited edition collector’s items as a unique souvenir from MOSI, at the end of the project.

Simpson’s white ramps have formed a distinctive framework for one of Manchester’s most visited and popular buildings – a goods warehouse which forms part of the Museum site, and was once part of the former Liverpool Road station (the oldest surviving passenger railway station, opened in 1830). They were the first project for the architect, who has since become famous for designing such iconic buildings as the Manchester Hilton, Urbis Museum, Manchester Transport Interchange and No. 1 Deansgate. 

Ian Simpson said: “The warehouse is unique and the idea was to have something dramatic for access, rather than just a lift or stairs. It’s difficult to appreciate just how big the warehouse is, but by using the ramps in the middle it reinforced the scale and allowed people to traverse the building.”

He added: “Any exhibition is by its nature temporary and museums need to refresh interiors like this for the next generation. The ramps have had millions of people going up and down, so they’ve had a good life.”

Simpson’s ramps cut through the heart of the 130 year old building, which was originally built as a warehouse in 1880 for the Great Western Railway Company in the former station site. The ramps will be removed and internal stairwells and lifts will be moved into distinctive glass towers on the outside wall, to free up more space inside the building.

At the end of the project small parts of the ramps will be made into limited edition collector’s items, stamped with the MOSI logo and mounted.

The redevelopment project, which is scheduled to finish by autumn, will see the historic warehouse transformed to make better use of the available space and offer improved orientation for visitors. A stunning new Revolution Manchester gallery will be created on the ground floor to display iconic objects relating to the city’s industrial and technological achievements.

The popular hands-on Experiment gallery, which currently attracts thousands of children every year, will be expanded and moved from the second floor to the first floor, with its own dedicated space. 

Four classrooms will be constructed to enable museum staff to offer more educational sessions which already attract 100,000 schoolchildren every year.

The restaurant and conferencing suite will be moved to the front of the building, on the first and second floors respectively, with larger kitchens and better facilities to cater for increased visitor numbers and conferencing guests. Extra toilets and lockers will be installed in the basement.

Funding for the redevelopment project has been confirmed from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which granted £2million, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) which granted £2million, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Garfield Weston, SITA, and a number of other trusts and foundations.

To register interest in the limited edition mementos created from the ramps please email memento@mosi.org.uk

For media enquiries please contact: Sarah Roe, MOSI Press and Publicity officer on Tel: 0161 606 0176, m: 07847 372647 or look up www.mosi.org.uk  

Notes to editors

• The Northwest Regional Development Agency works to deliver economic success in England’s Northwest by building the competitiveness of businesses, people and places. Our strategic influence on transport, housing and economic planning helps to deliver high impact projects that will enhance the quality of life for people living in, working in or visiting the Northwest.
• The ERDF programme is backed by the Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC) – a group of senior representatives from across the region. The Group was formed to monitor, oversee and advise on the delivery of the programme and proved invaluable to the development of the new fund.
• Between 2007 and 2013 the Northwest of England will receive a total of £521million (dependent on exchange rate) from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Managed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), this funding will enhance the competitiveness of the region’s economy by supporting growth in employment and enterprise.
• Key targets for the NWOP include:
• 1. Creating 26,700 net additional jobs by 2015
  2. Generating £1.17bn additional annual GVA by 2015
  3. Supporting a 25% reduction in addition CO2 emissions generated by the ERDF Programme
• The Northwest Regional Development Agency works to deliver economic success in England’s Northwest by building the competitiveness of businesses, people and places. Our strategic influence on transport, housing and economic planning helps to deliver high impact projects that will enhance the quality of life for people living in, working in or visiting the Northwest.

For further information and to view previous press releases visit www.nwda.co.uk or www.erdfnw.co.uk

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