Museum of Science and Industry

The Mini car ,which millions of people have lifted in MOSI’s interactive Xperiment gallery, was lowered out of the gallery yesterday, as part of the £7m Main Building redevelopment. 

Opened in 1988 Xperiment is MOSI’s most popular gallery and attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year, out of MOSI's 800,000 visitors. The hands-on science gallery is currently closed for a complete refurbishment, but is set to reopen as the bigger and better interactive Experiment gallery this summer. In the old Xperiment the Mini was suspended on its side and could be moved up and down by simply turning a lever - to demonstrate the mechanism of gears and leverage. It will be amongst several of the former exhibits which will be part of the new gallery. Experiment will be moved from the second floor to its own dedicated space on the first floor.

MOSI’s director Tony Hill said: “Xperiment was our most popular gallery in the Main Building and the Mini is its centrepiece. The new Experiment will be bigger than its predecessor and packed full of new, exciting interactive exhibits as well as the Mini, in time for the summer holidays. Please check our website for news of its reopening date.”

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.

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.

MOSI’s main building was originally built as a warehouse in 1880 for the Great Western Railway Company. It was one of several warehouses on the MOSI site and formed part of the former Liverpool Road railway station – the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station, which opened in 1830 as part of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway.

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.

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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