Please note: Electricity: The spark of life ended in April 2019. To find out what exhibitions and activities are open today, visit our What’s On section.
As part of this year’s big ‘thank you’ to the Heritage Lottery Fund for their help in funding objects for the national collection, we’re offering National Lottery ticket holders a one-off opportunity to visit the museum on Friday 7 December for a special curator-led lunchtime tour of our current exhibition, Electricity: The spark of life.
Jan Hicks, lead curator on the exhibition, will be sharing her favourite objects and telling the stories behind the discoveries that are showcased in the gallery, including that of the genius inventor Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti, and his inventions that changed how we power our lives.
The event is part of a celebration by more than 350 National Lottery-funded heritage attractions across the UK. The Science and Industry Museum is part of the Science Museum Group, which since 1995 has received more than £65m in funding from Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
Two objects at the museum were acquired with help from National Lottery funding: Richard Arkwright’s water frame, currently on display in our Textiles Gallery; and the Victorian hydraulic pumping engine that resides in the Power Hall.
Capacity for this event is strictly limited, and so tickets must be reserved in advance. As this experience is part of the #ThanksToYou celebrations, please note you must also bring a National Lottery ticket with you when you arrive for the tour.
In these videos, our curators explain more about the history behind the objects that the HLF helped keep in Manchester:
Reserve your tickets here (T&Cs apply).
Find out more about the Science Museum Group and Heritage Lottery Fund.