Manchester Museum is finally ready to reopen to the public after an ambitious £15m transformation project.
The cultural institution has expanded into a modern new two-storey extension, with new exhibition spaces and inclusive facilities added into the space.
Manchester Museum, which is part of the University of Manchester, will officially reopen this weekend after an 18-month refurbishment.
New spaces inside include a brand new Exhibition Hall, which will open with the blockbuster exhibition Golden Mummies of Egypt.
Visitors can get unparalleled access to more than 100 objects and eight mummies in a UK debut.
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The new extension also includes the South Asia Gallery (a partnership with the British Museum), which will be the UK’s first permanent space to explore the lived experience of South Asian diaspora communities.
The new extension at Manchester Museum. Credit: The Manc GroupThe South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum. Credit: The Manc GroupThe South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum. Credit: The Manc GroupThe new exhibition hall at Manchester Museum. Credit: The Manc Group
Purcell has designed the extension, cladding it in green-glazed terracotta tiles, paying homage to craftsmanship as well as Victorian and Edwardian period buildings in Manchester.
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Manchester Museum first opened in 1890 and is one of the largest university museums in the country, housed inside a neo-Gothic building designed by Alfred Waterhouse.
Inside its doors, the popular attraction has more than 4.5 million objects from natural sciences and human cultures.
April the dinosaur near the Fossils gallery at Manchester Museum. Credit: The Manc GroupThe shop at Manchester Museum. Credit: The Manc Group
One of the most immediate differences that’s resulted from the £15m transformation is the new accessible entrance straight off Oxford Road, which brings visitors straight into a stunning new gift shop.
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There’s a new dinosaur in town too, joining the museum’s legendary T-Rex Stan.
April the Tenontosaurus has taken up her place in the former entrance, beside the Fossils Gallery – she dates back to the Cretaceous period and was found in Montana, USA.
Other new features include a Changing Places toilet, prayer room, quiet room, picnic area and therapy room.
Esme Ward, Museum Director of Manchester Museum, says: “The reopening marks a huge moment in Manchester Museum’s rich history as we open our doors following a major transformation.
“We have extended the building, making room for more joy and learning and evolving into the Museum Manchester needs. Beautiful new galleries and exhibitions will showcase the best of the Museum’s historic collections, as well as addressing the urgencies of the present day and highlighting the complexities of our world.
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“We have also listened to advocates with lived experience, and inclusive new spaces and features are incorporated throughout. We are delighted to welcome our visitors back.”
Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
Yard Act announce handful of new headline shows ahead of 6Music gig in Manchester
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024, including a show right here in Manchester – but not before their BBC 6Music Festival gig later this week.
We are so, SO back.
It’s been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a limited run of domestic shows for later in the year including their homecoming gig at the O2 Academy in Leeds on Friday, 6 November.
But after playing over in Yorkshire, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on the following Friday (13 Nov).
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album, Where’s My Utopia?, with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August ’24.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy.
It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have been keeping busy writing and recording their third studio LP, as well as heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives – oh, and that intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to this coming autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait. We spoke to them a little while back and know how much big stuff they’ve got further pipeline; you can see the interview HERE.
Booking just three headline slots, the handful of tour dates are as follows:
06 Nov – Leeds
13 Nov – Manchester
26 Nov – London
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday, 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday, 27 March. Sign up to grab yours right HERE.
As for those wanting to find out more about this year’s 6Music Fest, you find the full lineup and more down below.
Daisy Jackson -
16th February 2023 
