Manchester Museum has released a sneak peak inside its walls as its £15m transformation project continues.
The huge museum, a landmark in Manchester, has been closed to the public since this time last year, and won’t reopen until February 2023.
During its closure, the cultural institution will be adding a modern two-storey extension, a new entrance, and inclusive facilities like a Changing Places toilet, picnic area, prayer space and quiet room.
The once-in-a-generation capital development project is called Hello Future, and will revamp the 132-year old museum.
Inside the cultural institution during its refurbishment. Credit: Manchester Museum
Manchester Museum, which is part of The University of Manchester, has released new footage from its transformation.
The original neo-Gothic building, designed by renowned architect Alfred Waterhouse, is being extended and improv ed.
The new extension is clad in green-glazed terracotta tiles to pay homage to Victorian and Edwardian period buildings across Manchester.
It will be home to a South Asia Gallery, in partnership with the British Museum, and a new Exhibition Hall, which will open with Golden Mummies of Egypt, featuring eight mummies and more than 100 objects from Manchester Museum’s Egyptology collection.
The new accessible entrance from Oxford Road will feature breath-taking objects from the museum’s 4.5 million-strong collection.
More than eighteen thousand objects been moved or protected from building work.
Esme Ward, Manchester Museum Director, said: “We are extending the building, making room for more joy and learning and evolving into the museum Manchester needs.
“Galleries and exhibitions will showcase the best of the museum’s historic collections, as well as addressing the urgencies of the present day.
“We can’t wait to reopen our doors in just six months’ time. Until then, we will continue to bring updates on our progress.”
Featured image: Supplied, Manchester Museum
Art & Culture
Manchester’s wine festival dedicated to all things rosé is back by popular demand this summer
Nothing says Saturdays in summer quite like sipping on a chilled glass of wine in the garden.
It’s a simple pleasure but not one that’s always possible for those who live in the city centre, or aren’t lucky enough to have some outside space of their own where they live… but luckily, Manchester’s very-own wine festival dedicated to all things rosé is back by popular demand next month, and it’s set to be a sparkling summer celebration.
The Beeswing’s Rosé Festival will be returning to the gardens of the stunning canalside Kampus neighbourhood, offering an afternoon of pink-hued indulgence, live music, and good vibes under the Manchester sun.
The Rosé Festival invites wine lovers to sip their way through more than 20 rosé and sparkling wines, from crisp Provençe pours to playful pét-nats.
All wines are handpicked by The Beeswing team, alongside some of their favourite wine suppliers.
Festivalgoers can meet the experts behind the bottles on offer, enjoy exclusive event-only discounts on orders placed during the afternoon, and discover some new favourites along the way.
Some of the festival’s participating partners and pourers include Boutinot Wines, Raymond Reynolds Portuguese Wines, Graft Wine Company, and Alliance Wines – with the lineup showcasing a diverse and delicious range of styles, meaning there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Manchester’s popular Rose Festival is returning this summer / Credit: The Beeswing | Corina Rainer (via Unsplash)
There’ll also he live music from singer Lucy Hope to listen to while you’re sipping on your rosés, creating a laid-back mini festival atmosphere.
The Beeswing’s Rosé Festival takes over the leafy Kampus Gardens on Saturday 9 August, from 1pm through to 3pm.
Tickets are now on sale at £30 per person, which includes all wine tastings, so not matter whether you’re a rosé aficionado or you’re just wine-curious, this is a summer Saturday not to be missed.
Little Mancs can meet the star of one of their favourite TV shows at the Science and Industry Museum this summer.
In case you hadn’t heard, Operation Ouch! is back in Manchester again with a fresh new experience for 2025, and this time around, visitors can journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Thousands of families from across Greater Manchester and beyond have already visited the city centre museum make the most of the new exhibition, and get stuck into the wide range of immersive and interactive activities it has on offer.
But for those who haven’t been able to pay a visit yet, this summer couldn’t be a more ideal opportunity to do so.
That’s because Dr Xand Van Tulleken – who is one of the presenters of the BBC showOperation Ouch! – will be at the museum in a couple of weeks time to meet visitors as part of his myth-busting mission to answer some of the public’s deepest questions about our senses.
The Science and Industry Museum has unveiled its ‘summer of senses’ programme / Credit: Science Museum Group
Dr Xand Van Tulleken will be at the Science and Industry Museum for one day only, and will not only join mini medics on their voyage through the senses, but will also be on-hand to answer brain teasers from the audience during a series of live Q&As.
Whether it’s banging on a super-sized eardrum, venturing into a massive eyeball, or even taking a whiff of a ‘smell library’, this world-premiere exhibition dives into the science behind hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell – and Dr Xand will be there every step of the way.
Dr Xand’s visit comes amid a senses-themed summer programme at the city centre museum, where visitors can enjoy everything from silent discos and science shows, to a ‘bogie lab’, brain-boggling challenges, and loads more during six weeks of activities inspired by its latest exhibition.
Book your tickets to visit Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You on Tuesday 12 August, for any of the time slots between 11:30am – 1pm, and 2:45 – 4:15pm for the opportunity to grab a selfie with Dr Xand from inside the exhibition.
Tickets will cost visitors £10 each, with those under three going free, and a range of family discounts available.
Daisy Jackson -
22nd August 2022 
