Manchester's Science and Industry Museum revamp begins

The museum has been used as an inspiring backdrop by politicians including Boris Johnson

Renovation work has started to preserve and improve part of the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester.

The Power Hall, boasting the biggest assembly of working steam engines in Europe, was built in 1855 as a shipping shed for the world's first purpose-built passenger railway station.

Roof repairs and a gallery redesign are due to be completed by summer 2021.

Museum director Sally MacDonald said it would "show how Manchester provided the power that changed the world".

The museum attracted 684,000 visitors in 2017-18

The rest of the museum will remain open as the Grade II-listed Power Hall restoration begins after £6m of government funds and extra money from the Science Museum Group.

The repairs form part of a larger plan for the museum, including a new special exhibitions gallery that is due to open next autumn.

In the 19th Century, Manchester was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution due to its manufacturing success.

Ms MacDonald said the restored Power Hall would be "full of the sounds of machines, whistles, smells of steam, and incredible personal stories that will show how Manchester provided the power that changed the city and the world - from the way we work to the consumer society we live in."

"In revealing more about the human skill and ingenuity of the past, we can't wait to inspire the engineers and innovators of the future," she added.