Our collection documents 250 years of discoveries and innovations that began in Manchester and went on to influence the world. In this section of the blog, we want to shine a light upon the achievements and experiences of the people behind those stories.
We weren’t the only ones cooped up during lockdown. In this blog, Rachel Rimmer, our Conservation and Collections Care Manager, looks at how her team prepared for leaving the collections and objects on their own and how having no visitors brought some unexpected advantages.
Did you know that we have one of the original eggs from the first Alien movie in our collection? It’s definitely one of the most unusual objects in our collections (which at several million objects is saying something!)
Our Rolls-Royce motorcar has a new pride-of-place spot in the museum, but how did it get there? Take a trip behind the scenes to find out.
Do you have an interesting story to tell about one of our working standing engines? If so, then we would love to hear from you to help us with our new Power Hall interpretation.
Resident ‘Curator of Sunshine’, Lewis Pollard, takes us on a journey around The Sun to find out how humans have always tried to show how our Solar System works…
Last September, the museum was thrilled to welcome the iconic Stephenson’s Rocket back to the place where it had worked over 180 years ago. But the time has now come to say goodbye as it continues its tour and moves on to our sister museum, the National Railway Museum in York.
Friday 16 August 2019 marks 200 years since the Peterloo Massacre, a major event in Manchester’s history and a defining moment for Britain’s democracy.
Mathematician and writer Jonathan Swinton takes a look at Alan Turing’s personal connections to our collection.
You don’t need to be Indiana Jones to discover hidden secrets: come digging with us in our storerooms and an entire world of industrial heritage surprises are just a click away.
The Archives recently acquired a collection of documents from the family of an electrical engineer Hubert Thorn Gooding (1903–88), who worked for Callender Cables & Construction Co Ltd.
If you’re heading down to the store you might be looking for lathes, hunting for hydrometers or searching for shuttles, but you might also discover an unexpected slice of history.
In the first of a series looking at inventions that didn’t quite live up to the hype, Archives Manager Jan Hicks reveals some very fashionable footwear…