The museum was opened in 1969 in temporary premises, but in 1978 the city council bought the old railway station for a symbolic amount of 1 GBP and, after repairs, the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry moved here in 1983. Its expositions are devoted to the development of industry in Britain as a result of the industrial revolution. All the models presented in the museum work and move, and with a special card, visitors can become participants in expositions, quizzes and competitions.
In the museum you can see how hot water appeared in the houses of the British, what household appliances were used in the 19th-20th centuries; learn about ventilation, heating and sewerage systems; see models of cars, machine tools, steam engines, locomotives and wagons; see a computer built in 1948. Real planes, cars are exhibited here, and on some days visitors are driven around the museum on demonstration passenger trains.