Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery in the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester is set to reopen on Friday, 17th October.

Among the exhibits, visitors will be able to see and hear working steam engines, some of which have not run for nearly ten years. The museum is undergoing a multi-million-pound regeneration project, and Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery is the latest building to reopen.

As well as iconic engines, there are many new interactive displays and stories about people who gave rise to Manchester’s industrial heritage. The gallery, housed in the first building that the museum opened in September 1983, was originally a shipping shed for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, and is a globally important, Grade II-listed building.

In 2019, the Power Hall was closed for urgent repairs, a project to reduce the building’s carbon emissions, and to reorganise the displays for an improved interpretation and visitor experience.

Among the exhibits will be iconic engines that were the mainstay of the industrial age, powering such things as cotton mills, chip shops, electricity generators, and railways.

Also on show will be Pender, a steam locomotive that worked on the Isle of Man in the 1870s, and is now being displayed with its side cut away to show its inner workings, and a replica of the original Planet steam locomotive that pulled passenger trains on the Liverpool and Manchester from 1830 to 1840; volunteers built the replica in the Power Hall in 1992.

Also in operation will be the Durn Mill steam engine, originally used to power weaving machinery at an 1800s mill near Rochdale.

“This is a hugely significant moment for our museum, the Science Museum Group and for Manchester. Power Hall symbolises the city’s innovation, creativity and resilience, and we are overjoyed that visitors will soon be back to enjoy all the amazing objects and stories on display. Ideas that began in this city have impacted people and places across the world and shaped life as we know it, and Power Hall showcases this in a very physical way. Our colleagues who first set up this gallery in 1983 knew that science and engineering have always been crucial to Manchester’s success and future growth. Many people have told me that the Power Hall was inspirational for them as children, and I hope now it can inspire a new generation of inventors and technicians.”

“A massive thank you to our fantastic collaborators, partners and funders for helping us to create this must-see Manchester experience, and of course to our visitors for their patience and sustained interest while Power Hall has been closed. I speak on behalf of everyone at the museum when I say we can’t wait to welcome you back.”

Sally MacDonald, Director of the Science and Industry Museum