Manchester Air & Space Museum to close

[treker_ed]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-57822997

 

According to the BBC report, the former Manchester Air & Space museum is set to close. There are no dates given within the news report, but considering the poor state of this side of the Science & Industry museum, it's a wonder it has not closed sooner. I remember visiting back in the 80's & 90's when it was a superb place to visit. Last time I went, about 5 years ago, it was not really worth the time to visit anymore!

 

Report says that the exhibits contained within the building will be returned to their owners. Wonder what will happen to the Shackleton?

[spitfire]

That is a shame, like you I remember visiting it in the 80's and it was superb.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Aeronut]

The Shackleton will go to Woodford, The Avro 504 to Stow Maries, The P1 and Avro 707 to Old Sarum. The Oka to Pima! The Rapide, Avian, Roe Triplane and Bensen Wallace autogyro to Hooton Park. That leaves the Belvedere, Trident nose and some smaller items looking for homes.

If there are any TV production companies looking there's a TV series in all this.

[AWFK10]

I first visited the museum in 1984, and then quite a few times in the late '80s and '90s. It was excellent in those days, not least because the aircraft were complemented by well-researched displays about aviation history in the Manchester area and by temporary exhibitions. It's quite a few years since I was last there and I agree, it wasn't really worth the bother any more. It had become no more than a warehouse with some aircraft stored in it, padded out with old motorbikes and cars that had obviously been brought in for no better reason than to fill up empty floor space. All the historical information had gone and there was nothing to put the exhibits in their context: they were basically just dumped there for visitors to make of them what they would. As I recall, the lift to the upstairs gallery was no longer working but it didn't really matter because there was nothing left up there anyway. I was left with the impression that the Science and Industry Museum now viewed its air and space collection as little more than an encumbrance that it begrudged having to maintain.

 

It wasn't far from the Manchester Model Shop, long since gone along with a couple of secondhand bookshops in the Corn Exchange that I used to browse for military and aviation titles. Now even the Ian Allan bookshop outside Piccadilly station has closed.

[Tim R-T-C]

I used to go in the 90s regularly and it was a great museum but visited shortly before COVID and agree with the comments that it feels very poor now.

 

The power hall was completely closed off, the old station building just feels empty. The warehouse, previously electrical hall had been stripped out and some new piece on history of TV felt very half hearted. Underground Manchester, a previous highlight was completely gone. The Air and Space part felt untouched since the 90s,  nothing new, the upper deck entirely closed.

[petetasker]

That’s a real shame. I used to work on Deansgate and can remember it when it first opened. It was a lovely museum with superb exhibits and some nice well thought out displays. I also used to spend more time than was good for me (and my wallet) in the Manchester Model Shop also on Deansgate. I hadn’t realised that had gone as well. I seem to remember a Vulcan flypast along Deansgate at some point – was it for the opening of the museum? 

[treker_ed]

2 hours ago, Aeronut said:

The Shackleton will go to Woodford, The Avro 504 to Stow Maries, The P1 and Avro 707 to Old Sarum. The Oka to Pima! The Rapide, Avian, Roe Triplane and Bensen Wallace autogyro to Hooton Park. That leaves the Belvedere, Trident nose and some smaller items looking for homes.

If there are any TV production companies looking there's a TV series in all this.

I was under the impression that the RAF Museum owned the Shackleton and was on loan to the Manchester museum!

Edited July 14, 2021 by treker_ed

[Aeronut]

45 minutes ago, treker_ed said:

I was under the impression that the RAF Museum owned the Shackleton and was on loan to the Manchester museum!

The RAF Museum has been contemplating reducing their holding. The Shackleton may g on loan to Woodford but it could also be 'gifted' ie ownership transfered. Museum rules are complicated and just giving items away to anybody or selling them is not on these days. I have asked my local aircraft museum if they would put in a bid for gifting from the RAFM for the first aircraft I carried a passenger in (its been in store at RAF Stafford for over 30 years), so I could buy it off them, but I got short shrift from the curator.