You’ll soon be able to spend the night at the Science and Industry Museum

A partnership between the Science and Industry Museum and The Landmark Trust will offer guests the chance to stay the night at the museum.

The museum’s Grade I listed Station Agent’s House is set to receive a new lease of life and reopen as a residence for the first time in nearly 100 years.

Dating back to 1808, the building is one of the city’s oldest surviving Georgian houses. Originally built as a private residence, it was used to accommodate the Station Agent when Liverpool Road Station was built, before being converted into shops. Since the museum opened in 1982, it has been used as offices. The Landmark Trust will now lease and restore Station Agent’s House, providing a new place to stay in Manchester and making it accessible to the public for the first time in almost a century.

The accessible holiday let will sleep up to eight people, providing a new place to stay in Manchester and a sympathetic new use for one of Manchester and the UK’s significant heritage buildings.

Sally MacDonald, Director of the Science and Industry Museum says: “We are delighted that the Landmark Trust will be bringing their expertise in sensitively restoring incredible heritage buildings to enable Station Agent’s House to be experienced by the public for the first time. At the Science and Industry Museum we explore ideas that change the world from our globally significant industrial heritage site.

“It’s our aim to bring into use every part of the museum’s site possible and along with the conservation and re-opening of the Power Hall with its much loved historic engines and locomotives, current repair work on the 1830 Station and plans for new galleries and outdoor experiences in the coming years, we are so pleased to be working with the Landmark Trust to lead on crucial work to this building as part of our plans to create a more sustainable museum and reveal new spaces and perspectives for visitors to enjoy.”

The adjacent 1830 Station is currently being repaired ahead of re-opening to the public in future years as part of the museum’s major conservation and redevelopment plans.

The Landmark Trust will also enable further public access to The Station Agent’s House through free open days.

The transformation of the property will also improve the environmental performance of the building and use sustainable heating technology such as heat pumps in alignment with the Landmark Trust’s, Science and Industry Museum’s and Manchester’s decarbonisation plans and sustainability goals. It will additionally improve accessibility, for example with a new lift enabling easier access between principal rooms.

Image credit: David Oates