Science and Industry Museum

Creative Tourist

Last Updated 12 April 2021

Science and Industry Museum, Liverpool Road, Manchester, M3 4FP – Visit Now

Reopening on the 19th of May, the Science and Industry Museum bids goodbye to lockdown with an exciting new programme of events and exhibitions to take us through summer 2021. The spaces reopening include the New Warehouse and the Upper Yard, plus the grand opening of the new £5m Special Exhibitions Gallery, which will be hosting the Top Secret Exhibition with GCHQ, plus the Revolution Manchester, Textiles and Experiment galleries will be open to the public.

Manchester music-lovers will be looking forward to the exhibition opening on the 19th of June: Use Hearing Protection: The Early Years of Factory Records. However, the rest of the site will remain closed due to the ongoing multi-million-pound restoration project.

The Science and Industry Museum’s collection spans 250 years of discoveries and innovations that began in Manchester – and went on to change the world

Visits to this must-see destination will be limited to advance bookings only, for the time being, and opening times will be pared back to Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. These new times are expected to be in place until April 2022, although it will be open every day of the week during the school holidays. You can also expect a reassuring increase in safety measures to protect visitors, such as hand sanitiser available at regular locations through the venue, clear signage to aid people on their visit, recommended routes and greatly enhanced cleaning measures to ensure risks are kept to an absolute minimum. This also means there will be a maximum number of visitors allowed per day, so be sure to book well in advance.

There will always be a one-way system around the venue, including a separate entrance and exit, to avoid people mingling unnecessarily. Happily, most interactive spaces and exhibitions will be open, albeit with enhanced cleaning throughout the course of the day. The on-site shop and cafe will be fully open, with the latter now using sustainable disposable materials rather than crockery. And picnic areas will also be provided for those sunny summer days.

More generally, the Science and Industry Museum’s collection spans 250 years of discoveries and innovations that began in Manchester – and went on to change the world. The globally significant site comprises six listed buildings (two Grade I and four grade II).

The museum found its permanent home in the former Liverpool Road Station – the site of the original terminus of the world’s first inter-city railway – in 1983, having outgrown its temporary premises on Grosvenor Street in Chorlton-on-Medlock (the North Western Museum of Science and Industry first opened in 1969).

Part of the national Science Museum Group, the museum plays host to cutting edge special exhibitions for all ages. For more information about these exhibitions and other details about one of Manchester’s most vibrant arts and science spaces, visit the venue’s website at the link below.