Science and Industry Museum — Attraction in Manchester

I visited this museum on Tuesday as it was my first time visiting Manchester and I was intrigued to see what it had to offer. We got there and it was a very quick process to enter the museum, however we only got to look around for 15 minutes or so before the fire alarm started blaring. The staff that worked here honestly didn’t have a clue what to do, the customers inside were still walking around 4-5 minutes later and looking around to see what was going on, as none of the staff were ushering everyone out. I eventually had to go up to an old gentleman in a volunteer t-shirt and ask him if we should leave, to which his response was “i’m not quite sure but i think it’s probably best if we do just in case”. The lack of organisation during this was honestly laughable - I find it hard to believe they’ve ever had a fire drill in their life.

We then went to stand outside on the pavement (which was now HEAVING with people and schoolchildren who were just inside) to which a female worker with short hair and tattoos came out with a terrible attitude and started saying to everyone “this isn’t a fire assembly point it’s down there, so i need you to move basically”. It may not sound rude when reading, but her tone and the way she was carrying herself was very arrogant. Not to mention, the fire assembly point that she pointed out was halfway down the road! How we were supposed to know that I have no clue…

We then waited for around half an hour outside with no updates, the staff were just walking up and down the street with their radios talking to each other. The fire alarm at this point has stopped but we still weren’t allowed in as I believe they were checking everything (although I can’t be sure as there was no communication at all). There were school kids there on a trip who then had to eat their packed lunches sitting on the floor, and the teachers couldn’t get ANYTHING out of these workers.

After another 20 minutes or so of sitting there in the baking heat, we were finally let know that they wouldn’t be able to open for ‘roughly another couple of hours but they weren’t sure’. I mean I’m not expecting an exact time scale but they were so vague about every single aspect, which was extremely frustrating.

I get that fire alarms and technical difficulties happen and it’s almost unavoidable, however it was the way it was handled that was really disappointing for me and ruined what could have been a...

First Monday of October half term. Expected busy and it was. However the crowds were still able to move through the exhibits with relative ease. I've not visited for 20 years, and was bitterly disappointed that the Air & Space museum was no more. The power hall has recently undergone a refurbishment but still contains nearly all of the exhibits it did before that I remember when I was a kid. As it was school holidays, it would have been great to see some of these running but unfortunately all were static displays with information boards and younger children would likely get bored quickly. The outdoor space between the main warehouse and the power hall is a partial building site but the completed area could do with more outdoor seating when the warmer weather comes around. At busy periods it would be useful to have the lifts/stair access as one way up/one way down as it can get crowded on the stairs. There has always been an "experiment" area on the top floor for as long as I can remember but again, at busy times, the chances of seeing all of these for the time it takes to complete the "experiments" is unlikely as not everyone is patient or teaches their kids to take turns. We were lucky enough to visit when the BBC Ouch exhibition was on in the basement, and it was less busy than the main exhibits. This was a brilliant colourful and well laid out interactive experience for all ages. There were plenty of staff on hand who were all welcoming and friendly. There is zero compulsorily admission cost but all donations (suggested £5) and profits from the on-site shop/cafe go towards the upkeep of the museum. The 1840s Warehouse & Station area is undergoing a renovation at this time - so the exhibition space there and the victorian sewer, which I was looking forward to walking through, is currently closed. Having said that, with a short stop for a picnic we were still able to spend 2 hours at the museum without really trying. When it is all fully open this could easily stretch to 3+ hours for your visit. The museum has ample spaces to park buggies and prams, with toilets on the lower level with a small supply of lockers for bags. The toilets are OK when you're desperate, but the fact you can smell them before you reach the foot of the stairs should tell you they could use some...

The museum is free to enter and I used to love coming here as a child. I came back with my own children today. What we saw today was quite a disappointment.

I booked easily online and with a minor wait at the doors we got in very smoothly. As we had also wanted to visit the Operation Ouch later. And thinking we would need time to explore the whole museum we booked it for mid afternoon.

Then we got here….

The train museum is closed. (It is under renewal ) that means 1/3 of the museum is gone. The aviation museum is also closed and gone. (Another 1/3 of the Museum gone)

Most of the hands on exhibits are missing parts. The towel of babel puzzle only have 3 discs. The colour exploration only has two red shapes. The plug and play wall is sparse to say the least.

The textile area was interesting with working machines on demonstration. There’s a lovely little children’s activity trail book to give children a little more focus as they go around.

It’s seems that most of the museum had gone or is broken. Such a pitiful shadow of its formal glory. Maybe if it became a paid to enter museum the upkeep and interactive elements could be kept on top of.

The Saving grace is that the staff are friendly and welcoming. The cafe is one of the nicest museum cafes we have visited this year despite the slightly high price. £6 for a bottle of water and a small slice of flapjack.

I think the museum is just in need of a big overhaul. Or at least a restock ahead of the school holidays.

The Operation Ouch section was informative, but not as interactive as I was expecting. Plenty of people in meant some jostling as people pushed their way In front of you to explore the exhibits. A lot of the videos were just Iplayer snippets on repeat. Not sure it was really worth the £8 a head...