Museum of Science and Industry

Has your life been changed by email or the mobile phone? Is the paperless office really feasible? The Connecting Manchester Gallery tells the story of the development of communications in the Manchester region. It looks at how the new technologies of their day made it possible for people to communicate faster and further.

The Gallery draws on a wide range of the Museum's collections, including printing and papermaking machinery, photographic equipment, telephony and telegraphy equipment, radios, televisions, computers and other digital equipment. 

Highlights include the first British model of Linotype machine, which revolutionised newspaper production, and early telephones made by David Moseley & Sons of Manchester.  Among the more familiar objects on display are classic radios, such as the Ferranti Lancastria, and a 'Space Age' Keracolor television.

The Connecting Manchester Gallery was funded by BT through its Connected Earth project. You can find a wealth of information about Britain's telecommunications heritage on the BT Connected Earth website.