manchester museum of science and industry
I am a science/techie museum junkie, and somehow the MMSI had passed me by so I went over there yesterday.
Oooooh - it goes straight in at No. 5 on my all time list, ahead of the Science Museum.
(1 - Deutsches Museum, Munich; 2 - Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Washington, 3 - the one at La Villette in Paris (which also 'logically' includes the very good Air & Space museum at Le Bourget), 4 - the one in Milan, 5 - Manchester)
Summary:
Built in the old railway buildings in Castlefield - oldest purpose-built railway architecture in the world - and one of the old market halls. So a plus point there from an architectural point of view and the buildings have been sensibly used.
5 halls:
Main building - gallery on printing and typesetting, gallery on textiles and the cotton trade with some excellent old machinery, gallery on Manchester's role in science (concentrating Dalton, Rutherford's work there, Joule) through the years. Some hands-on bits for kids.
Station building - Good exhibition on the history of the city and how it was built and what's under it. Smallish exhibition about the Liverpool & Manchester railway, rebuilt booking office, various special exhibitions. Good collection of old cameras.
1830 Warehouse - building's interesting in its own right, couple of special exhibitions (a good Electricity Gallery) but the highlight is the reconstruction of "Baby" (the first stored-program digital computer) on the top floor and the gentlemen of a certain age formerly of Ferranti and Manchester University who can talk you through the history of the machine (and of Atlas, and MU-5 and all the other good stuff there). A good'un. A "telecommunications gallery" is coming later this year.
Power Hall - big machinery - stationary gas-turbine, steam and diesel engines, waterwheels, etc. Several steam locos - "Lion" from the L&M, a ruddy huge Beyer-Garratt composite from South Africa... one and a bit electrics from the Woodhead line (one in Dutch livery from its days over there). Assorted cars and motorbikes from Manchester including a couple of Crossleys. An early Royce (pre-Rolls Royce) engine.
Air & Space hall - ooooooooooh. One of the best collections I've seen in a small space, majoring on Avro who were a Lancashire company and English Electric/BAe. Much good stuff including -- Shackleton AEW (the ultimate development of the Lancaster), P1 (the Lightning prototype), Avro 705 (the third-scale delta-wing research plane that gave rise to the Vulcan), Spitfire, Avro 504, Avro Avian, Avro Triplane - the first entirely British aeroplane), Bristol Belvedere twin-rotor helicopter, cockpit section from a BAC Trident, wind-tunnel models from several experimental planes, assorted autogyros, powered gliders, etc. etc. Various 'space' stuff aimed more at kids, but including an experimental Gemini paraglider capsule (NASA's attempt to do more controlled landings).
For a non-national museum (all the ones I rate higher are effectively 'national') this is very good indeed - and it's free. Recommended if you're in the area. It's about 5 minutes walk from GMex tram stop or Oxford Road station.
Oooooh - it goes straight in at No. 5 on my all time list, ahead of the Science Museum.
(1 - Deutsches Museum, Munich; 2 - Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Washington, 3 - the one at La Villette in Paris (which also 'logically' includes the very good Air & Space museum at Le Bourget), 4 - the one in Milan, 5 - Manchester)
Summary:
Built in the old railway buildings in Castlefield - oldest purpose-built railway architecture in the world - and one of the old market halls. So a plus point there from an architectural point of view and the buildings have been sensibly used.
5 halls:
Main building - gallery on printing and typesetting, gallery on textiles and the cotton trade with some excellent old machinery, gallery on Manchester's role in science (concentrating Dalton, Rutherford's work there, Joule) through the years. Some hands-on bits for kids.
Station building - Good exhibition on the history of the city and how it was built and what's under it. Smallish exhibition about the Liverpool & Manchester railway, rebuilt booking office, various special exhibitions. Good collection of old cameras.
1830 Warehouse - building's interesting in its own right, couple of special exhibitions (a good Electricity Gallery) but the highlight is the reconstruction of "Baby" (the first stored-program digital computer) on the top floor and the gentlemen of a certain age formerly of Ferranti and Manchester University who can talk you through the history of the machine (and of Atlas, and MU-5 and all the other good stuff there). A good'un. A "telecommunications gallery" is coming later this year.
Power Hall - big machinery - stationary gas-turbine, steam and diesel engines, waterwheels, etc. Several steam locos - "Lion" from the L&M, a ruddy huge Beyer-Garratt composite from South Africa... one and a bit electrics from the Woodhead line (one in Dutch livery from its days over there). Assorted cars and motorbikes from Manchester including a couple of Crossleys. An early Royce (pre-Rolls Royce) engine.
Air & Space hall - ooooooooooh. One of the best collections I've seen in a small space, majoring on Avro who were a Lancashire company and English Electric/BAe. Much good stuff including -- Shackleton AEW (the ultimate development of the Lancaster), P1 (the Lightning prototype), Avro 705 (the third-scale delta-wing research plane that gave rise to the Vulcan), Spitfire, Avro 504, Avro Avian, Avro Triplane - the first entirely British aeroplane), Bristol Belvedere twin-rotor helicopter, cockpit section from a BAC Trident, wind-tunnel models from several experimental planes, assorted autogyros, powered gliders, etc. etc. Various 'space' stuff aimed more at kids, but including an experimental Gemini paraglider capsule (NASA's attempt to do more controlled landings).
For a non-national museum (all the ones I rate higher are effectively 'national') this is very good indeed - and it's free. Recommended if you're in the area. It's about 5 minutes walk from GMex tram stop or Oxford Road station.