Multimillion-pound restoration

New Warehouse roof and Gantry (Image credit: The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum)

Work has begun on a grade II-listed building at Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum, replacing a historic roof the size of two Olympic swimming pools.

The New Warehouse, which is more than 140 years old, is the next building to undergo essential conservation work.

It is part of a multimillion-pound restoration programme taking place across the Science and Industry Museum’s site.

Scaffolding will be erected around the New Warehouse this winter as part of the museum’s current £14.2m worth of national capital funding by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to complete urgent repairs.

Originally built in the 1880s to support the expansion of Liverpool Road Station, the building provided essential goods storage as the station grew into a hub of 19th century industry.

Now it houses the main museum entrance, three permanent galleries (Revolution Manchester, Textiles Gallery and Experiment), three changing exhibition spaces, a café, shop and conference space, spread across three floors.

Manchester-based architects Buttress, who specialise in restoring listed and historic buildings, will work on the scheme.

Sally MacDonald, director of the Science and Industry Museum said: “We are delighted that the next stage of the site’s multi-million-pound restoration project is underway. This marks an exciting moment as we carry out vital repairs to our main museum building, including a brand-new roof.

“Whilst this repair work will bring some disruption to our site, including our largest scaffolding structure to date, the changes taking place now will mean visitors can enjoy our museum for years to come. We’ve always been a place of change and transformation and the work on New Warehouse is our next step to future-proof our historic site.”

source: Insider Media