Stop 1: Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI)
Where Railways Began: Engineering Past and Present
Located in the historic Liverpool Road Station complex, MOSI perfectly embodies Manchester’s industrial heritage within a contemporary museum setting. The site comprises five listed buildings, including the world’s first railway warehouse (1830), which demonstrates pioneering cast-iron frame construction that would later influence skyscraper design. The Power Hall showcases Manchester’s mechanical innovation with working steam engines, while the Revolution Manchester gallery uses cutting-edge interactive displays to tell the city’s scientific story.
The 1830 Warehouse represents a pivotal moment in architectural history, being the first building to use flagged iron beams supported by cast iron columns – a system that would eventually enable the creation of modern high-rises. The site’s adaptation into a modern museum demonstrates sensitive preservation, with original features like railway tracks, water hydraulics, and loading bays maintained alongside contemporary exhibition spaces.
Don’t miss the Air and Space Hall’s distinctive iron-framed architecture, the original railway platforms where Queen Victoria arrived in Manchester, or the newly restored sewer construction display showing the city’s Victorian infrastructure. The contrast between restored industrial spaces and modern interactive galleries perfectly sets up our tour’s theme of heritage and innovation.
[To Stop 2, Merchants Bridge: Exit MOSI onto Liverpool Road, turn right and follow the road as it curves left onto Water Street. The Merchants Bridge will be visible ahead.]
