National Lottery Heritage Fund awards £225k to the Science and Industry Museum

A project to restore one of the UK’s most beloved industrial heritage galleries has been given a welcome boost thanks to money raised by players of The National Lottery.

The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester has today confirmed that it has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £225,000 to support the project to re-imagine its iconic Power Hall gallery.

The Power Hall houses one of the UK’s largest collections of working steam engines. It has been temporarily closed since 2019 to allow for major conservation works to the roof and an internal re-display. 

When it reopens, the multi-sensory gallery will have a renewed focus on original historic machinery with a compelling connection to Manchester, telling stories of the relationship between humans and engines and showcasing the impact skilled engineers and technicians had and continue to have on the world today.

As well as delving into Manchester’s pioneering past, the gallery will demonstrate cutting-edge sustainable technologies and explore the city’s role in the next (green) revolution.

The Heritage Fund grant will mean visitors continue to benefit from the gallery’s world-class display of historic working machinery into the future by supporting the development of a volunteer programme dedicated to these objects, where valuable skills and knowledge can be preserved and shared.

As part of Power Hall’s regeneration works, the museum is also embarking on a sector-leading decarbonisation scheme. The funding will support the museum to run its historic, fossil fuel-powered engines using green 21st century technology to recreate the movements that once powered Manchester’s industries. I

t will also aid the conservation and maintenance of the machines, keeping them operating in line with the museum’s net-zero goal.

Through the grant, Power Hall will also be re-established a space where everyone can explore and enjoy the ideas, technologies and machines that started life in Manchester and went on to change the world.

It will fund community consultation events aimed at improving the learning experiences on offer inside the gallery, as well as vital research that will see the museum expand its storytelling, with a specific focus on the innovative sustainable technologies that have been incorporated as part of Power Hall’s restoration.   

Sally MacDonald, director of the Science and Industry Museum, said: “We are delighted to have received this substantial grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. It gives us a huge opportunity to breathe new life into our world-class collection through improved storytelling and make clear connections between the impact of technologies developed right here in Manchester with people, industries and places across the world.

“The funding also means we can work even more closely with our local audiences to help bridge the STEM skills gap in Greater Manchester by inspiring the engineers and innovators of the future.

Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “It is fantastic that thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to support the Science and Industry Museum in their mission to ensure the Power Hall, and its hugely significant collection, is maintained using green energy, so it can be shared and enjoyed for years to come. It is incredibly exciting to think that our funding will ensure that local communities and visitors can explore the North of England’s rich engineering heritage, and the pivotal role Manchester played in its development, and also inspire a new generation of amazing innovators.”

The globally important, Grade II listed Power Hall was built in 1855 as the shipping shed for Liverpool Road Station, the world’s first purpose-built passenger railway station.

Now part of the Science and Industry Museum, it is one of the most beloved industrial heritage galleries in the country. Its restoration is part of a multi-million pound regeneration project taking place across the museum’s seven-acre site to reveal new spaces and perspectives for all visitors to enjoy, play and learn in. Find out more on the museum’s website (www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/about-us/we-are-changing).