I was horrified to see that the Museum of Science and Industry at Manchester is in danger of closing. It is reported that the Science Museum Group, of which MOSI is now a member, has a massive operating deficit. It seems that MOSI, the National Railway Museum in York and Bradford's National Media Museum may face the axe in order to keep the Science Museum
in London open.
Lancashire was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution,
and Manchester – ‘Cottonopolis’ – was its beating heart. The first inter-city railway was built here,
and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway station is an important part of the MOSI site. Manchester’s
contribution to the great scientific breakthroughs of the twentieth century such
as computing is well known: MOSI is home to 'Baby', the first stored-programme
computer
built at Manchester University in 1948.
MOSI is a living showcase of our industrial past, in
particular the industrial revolution, with nationally important collections
relating to the cotton industry and the city’s social history. If the collection is closed or dispersed, a
wonderful treasure for past and future generations will be lost and is unlikely
to be replaced.
It seems unlikely that the City Council would take over MOSI,
as it too faces swingeing cuts from Whitehall and has to prioritise funding for
essential services. But this could be a
short-sighted view: I understand from the MEN report that over 830,000 people
visited MOSI last year. Visitors
generate income for local businesses, which in turn pay their local rates, and
hence more funding for Manchester. A
multiplicity of high quality tourist attractions are vital to help promote the
city and attract visitors.
MOSI is not just a collection of machinery – the museum is a
window into the past so that we can see how our Lancashire ancestors (including my own)
lived and worked in Manchester. It’s a
great resource for local schools, colleges and students as well as tourists. Its
closure would be a national disgrace, as well as a local tragedy.
Although free admission boosts visitor numbers, I would
rather pay a modest entrance fee, if this is the only way to keep the museum
open. However, it seems that the Science Museum Group does not have the power to impose entrance fees.
Please take a moment to sign the
MEN petition to save MOSI;
there’s also one on Change.org.
Update 6 May: The Financial Times is running the story this morning, and the MEN petition has already received over 20,000 signatures.
Update 6 May: The Financial Times is running the story this morning, and the MEN petition has already received over 20,000 signatures.
Images:
Weaving shed, Haworth’s Mills, Ordsall, Lancashire.
Illustration by H E Tidmarsh, Manchester Old and New Vol. II, (Cassell &
Co., c. 1894).
Drawing cotton at Richard Howarth & Co., Tatton Mills,
Ordsall, early C. 20th postcard.
