See the first glimpse of work on the new galleries at the Museum of Liverpool
With six weeks to go, the wraps are still on and the display cases are still bare.
But workmen are busy painting, drilling and constructing to complete the new galleries due to open at the Museum of Liverpool in December.
Today, we can reveal the first pictures of phase two of the museum, three months after the landmark venue opened its doors.
They include the only remaining Overhead Railway motor car, which was winched into place at the site 14 months ago so the Mann Island museum interior could be designed around it.
Contractors are busy completing the replica of the Pier Head station which stands at exactly the same height above the ground as the original would have done.
A spokeswoman for National Museums Liverpool said: “People will be allowed into the front third of the carriage.
“The Overhead Railway is a gallery in itself and the display will include a scale model of the railway showing how it ran along the dock system from Seaforth to Dingle, and aural histories from people who worked and used it. They include a married couple who met while they were working on the railway.”
The carriage overlooks the ground floor Great Port gallery, which uses exhibits from National Museums Liverpool’s land transport collection to bring the story of Liverpool as a great port to life.
Its centrepiece is the 1838 steam locomotive, Lion, which will be displayed along with a Sentinel 10-12 ton Super Steam Tractor from 1927 and used widely on the dockside, and the only known surviving Liver 3 ½ h.p. Phaeton automobile dating from 1900 and which was manufactured by the William Lea Motor Co Ltd, of Birkenhead and Liverpool.
Two walls behind the locomotive will have screens projecting the story of Liverpool as a port, while the first display in the gallery will look at the city’s role in the sugar trade.
The Great Port gallery also features the gates which were excavated during an archaeological dig at the old Manchester Dock before the museum was built on the site.
A 38 metre (125ft) timeline telling the history of Liverpool starts in the Great Port gallery with the ice age before rising up to run along the length of the museum’s first floor.
The City Soldiers gallery will tell the story of the King’s Regiment, with interactive terminals allowing visitors to trace their own family’s links with the regiment.
The gallery utilises film, video, memoirs, uniforms, trophies and weaponry to tell the regiment’s story.
An interactive map on the first floor will give people the chance to find out about specific areas and even buildings in Merseyside, while changing display cases will shine spotlight on communities such as Meols.
Facilities for community and school visits are also being created.
The second phase opens to the public on Friday, December 2.
Visit the Liverpool Daily Post' gallery here.
For more information visit www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol
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