The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (MOSI), located in Manchester, England, is a large museum devoted to the development of science, technology, and industry and particularly the city's considerable contributions to these. It is an Anchor Point of ERIH — The European Route of Industrial Heritage. The museum is a non-departmental public body.

There are extensive displays on the theme of transport (railway locomotives and rolling stock, aircraft, and space vehicles), power (water, electricity, steam and gas engines), Manchester's sewerage and sanitation, textiles, communications and computing. They also have steam train rides at the museum hauled by a replica of a Planet class Steam locomotive "Planet" built by Robert Stephenson. The railway brings the museum to life and is one of the major attractions to visitors. The railway is mainly run by volunteers.

History

The museum was originally called the "North Western Museum of Science and Industry" when it opened in 1969 in temporary premises on Grosvenor Street in Chorlton-on-Medlock. In 1978 the Greater Manchester Council purchased the earliest part of the former Liverpool Road Station from British Rail, which had been closed in 1975. The council paid the nominal sum of £1 for the site. The museum opened at this site on 15 September 1983, and later expanded to include the whole of the former station.

The museum used to be located on Grosvenor St to the south of the city centre, and had close ties with UMIST, having mostly grown out of the Department of History of Science & Technology. In 1983, having obtained more funding and outgrown its former site, it moved and is now located on Castlefield, near the site of the original Roman fort in Manchester (Mamucium); it incorporates Liverpool Road Station (vacated by British Rail in 1975), one of the original termini of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the world's first passenger railway.

Exhibitions

The Museum of Science and Industry is home to some impressive items; these include:-

Aircraft:

• A complete RAF Avro Shackleton, built locally at Chadderton and Woodford
• A Supermarine Spitfire
• A Hawker Hunter

Computing:

• A replica of the Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine

Locomotives:

• A replica of Erricson's Novelty with parts from the original locomotive of 1829.
• A British Rail Class 77 EM2 1.5 kV DC electric locomotive.
• A South African GL class Beyer-Garratt

A Connected Earth gallery that tells the history of communications in Manchester and the North West of England opened in October 2007.

Past exhibits include:

• Body Worlds 4 between 22 February and 29 June 2008
• LMR 57 Lion Britain's oldest steamable locomotive

References

External links

• Aero collection of Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester
• Entry in 24 Hour Museum
• Official Manchester Museum of Science and Industry Website