It smells the same, but looks different.

The famous Power Hall at Manchester’s Science & Industry Museum – that warehouse of steam-powered engines, heaving hydraulics and giant trains – has reopened, with the favourite enormous machines of the past alongside a new narrative that offers a more engaging experience.

This museum gallery is all about power. The power generated by coal, the power unleashed through steam technology, the power held by a few white men a few centuries ago, and the power that we humans have exploited, squandered and wasted all over the globe, ever since. Today, the museum seeks to encourage us to learn about the people who invented and used these powerful contraptions, while also asking questions about how we consume power in our own lives.

I have powerful memories of my own, of visiting the museum with my father soon after it first opened to the public in the 1980s. Then, it was a cathedral to the engine – of steam and smells, of machismo and machines, of whirring wheels and oily overalls. There, I learned how engines work and stood in awe of them as they puffed and hissed, the pistons pumping at breakneck speed. It was thrilling stuff and it always smelled the same.

Stepping back into this gallery after some time (the space has been closed for six years for a refurbishment), I’m delighted that the smell of warm oil and water vapour is still there. My glasses still steam up when I’m near one of the machines, whirring away under expert supervision.

Thanks to new interactive features, families with kids will feel much more welcome. The interpretation of these steaming beauties is quite different to the technical signs that used to accompany the large exhibits. The explanation of how a steam engine works is now shown in easy-to-follow guides and, importantly, a series of other narratives have been included in the display. Beyond the hero worship of the men who made themselves rich off these objects are narratives of colonialism and empire-building, of exploration and exploitation, of apartheid and partition – topics that we all need to continue learning more about.

This gallery also acknowledges the part that Manchester and these objects played in the exploitation of our planet’s fossil fuels, and the devastating impact of man-made climate change. The museum doesn’t just tell us this story; it embodies a new way of green thinking. It uses water from an underground aquifer to heat its buildings and has installed an electric boiler to produce the steam needed to run the historic engines which capture waste heat to warm the rest of museum. It has also included stories of modern scientists and technicians who are now coming up with ways to limit and reverse climate change, pointing towards a greener future.

Visitors are prompted to think about their own role in the future of a cleaner planet, too. Museum benches have questions carved into them, inviting people to imagine greener ways to power homes and dream of more sustainable futures.

The Science Museum Group (which comprises museums across the UK) comes under plenty of criticism, much of it valid, for the funds it accepts from companies involved in the exploitation of fossil fuels. It could be suggested that there’s a double standard at play here – inviting visitors to consider what they’ll do to save the planet while the museum group still takes funds from carbon-guzzling energy giants. The politics of museum funding aside, it’s encouraging to see the Science & Industry Museum shining a light on stories that acknowledge the damaging roles that Manchester and these technologies played, just as it’s encouraging to see them placing attention on new technologies that seek to make the world a greener and cleaner place.

All told, the Power Hall smells familiar, just as it did when I used to visit decades ago. But now it’s so much more relevant to our world and to our lives.

By Steve Slack

Main image: Engines in the Power Hall. Photo credit Dave Bewick.

 

Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery is open at the Science & Industry Museum, Manchester. For more information, click here.