The Mosi's Museum
Located on the historic site of the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station, housed in five listed buildings, MOSI’s amazing galleries and outstanding collections tell the story of Manchester’s scientific and industrial past, present and future
Today the Museum occupies the former Liverpool Road Station, one of Manchester's most important historic sites. Liverpool Road Station, which opened in 1830, is the world's oldest surviving railway station. It only operated as a passenger station from 1830 to 1844, when passenger services were re-routed to Hunt's Bank Station (now Victoria Station). Liverpool Road Station continued as a goods station until 1975, when British Rail closed it.
At that time, the Museum needed a permanent home. Opened in 1969, the North Western Museum of Science and Industry quickly outgrew its temporary premises on Grosvenor Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock. Its main funder, Greater Manchester Council, agreed to purchase the 1830 part of Liverpool Road Station from British Rail for the token sum of £1 in 1978. Greater Manchester Council later decided to purchase the later eastern end of the Station too.
The Museum opened at its new site on 15 September 1983, the 153rd anniversary of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Initially, only the Power Hall and parts of the Main Building and Station Building were in use. Now funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the Museum has continued to restore the buildings to hold new galleries and facilities.
WHAT SHOUDNT BE MISSED:
Victorian Sewer: Crawl through an atmospheric Victorian sewer, complete with smells, sounds, rats ...and worse!
Planetarium Shows:
Enjoy a fascinating seasonal view of the stars and planets as seen from the North West of England in purpose-built Planetarium.
MOSI's Historic Site:
Stand on the platform of the oldest surviving passenger railway station in the world.
Manchester's Scientists:
Watch holograms of Manchester’s world-famous scientists explain their discoveries before your very eyes.
Cotton Machinery:
Experience the deafening noise of working cotton machinery during one of our regular demonstrations.
Connecting Manchester:
Trace the history of communication from body language and story telling to television and the Internet.
Powerful Machines:
Marvel at one of the largest collections of working steam engines.
Avro Shackleton:
Admire the enormous Avro Shackleton, designed in 1954 and look out for Dougal from the Magic Roundabout.
Beyer-Garratt locomotive:
Be dwarfed by the huge Beyer-Garratt articulated locomotive.
Steam Train Rides: Take a ride around site behind our replica of Robert Stephenson's 1830 Planet locomotive.
VISITORS INFORMATION:
MOSI is open from 10.00am - 5.00pm every day,
Except 24 - 26 December and 1 January.
HOW TO REACH US:
By Car:
MOSI is located on Liverpool Road in Castlefield, minutes from Manchester city centre.
It is clearly signposted from all main routes into the city - simply follow the brown tourist signs. The nearest motorways are the M602 and the M60. Car parking on-site costs £7.00 before 9.00am, £5.00 after 9.00am and £3.00 after 3.00pm.
The car park entrance is currently situated on Water Street just off Liverpool Road. Capacity is severely restricted, so please arrive early to avoid disappointment, especially during holiday periods. Pedestrian access is still via Lower Byrom Street.
A map and directions to the new temporary car park entrance on Water Street can be found in the downloads section on the right hand side of this page.
Please note that Deansgate and Liverpool Road will be closed from 9am until 5pm on 1 August. Water Street will be open as normal.
By Train:
Nearest railway station - Deansgate. It is a five minute walk from Deansgate to MOSI.
Deansgate station is serviced by direct rail services from Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road railway stations.
By Tram:
Nearest Metrolink (tram) station - G-Mex. This stop is next to Manchester Central Convention Centre. It is a five minute walk from G-Mex/Manchester Central to MOSI.
The G-Mex tram stop is serviced by Metrolink trams from Manchester city centre, Manchester Victoria railway station and other parts of Greater Manchester.
By Bus:
Bus No. 33 from Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre stops outside MOSI on Liverpool Road. The free Metroshuttle No. 2 bus (green route) stops outside the Museum entrance on Lower Byrom Street.
Children
Children under 16 are more than welcome at MOSI but must be accompanied by an adult.
Clothes
Wear comfortable shoes and bring an umbrella - it's a fairly big site (and this is Manchester!).
Photography
Please feel free to take photographs around the museum, for private use, to remember your visit.
Addess:
Museum of Science & Industry
Liverpool Road
Castlefield
Manchester
M3 4FP