These are a few of my favourite things #3

Following a brief holiday to reinvigorate the old energy levels (pardon the pun!) - I thought I'd share a few more of my favourite pieces from our incredible collections. Shifting back to objects we will all be familiar with, here are some of the earlier incarnations of the washing machine...

This washing machine was made by Thor Canadian Ltd, Toronto, Canada and was used in Manchester. In 1936 the company produced the 'Electric Servant' which was a combined washing machine, food mixer, blender and juicer. Needless to say, it was not a success.

In the 1940s, Thor introduced the 'Automagic' hybrid washer/dishwasher complete with both a removable clothes washing drum and a dish washing drum! It was heavily marketed but it wasn't long before it disappeared from the shelves as consumers were put off by washing dirty clothing and dishes in the same machine. Perhaps, in the current age of apartment living, they'll be more demand for these inventive dual purpose appliances!

This fine example of a washing machine was purchased by a Mr Slack. He worked for Metropolitan Vickers which was part of the same group of companies as Hotpoint. Metrovicks offered their employees the chance to buy goods manufactured from their sister companies at very favourable terms. Mr Slack bought this machine under Metrovick's Staff Purchase Scheme.

Confessions of a Curator #5

MOSI featured on radio 4 yesterday when the well-known BBC economist Evan Davies came to Manchester.  He was making a report for the Today programme on the organisation's move north. I was asked to speak on behalf of MOSI, and Evan chose as a background for his report the atmospheric sound-scape produced by the museum's Lancashire loom and one of our gas engines - another part of our Energy story!

Evan and I discussed the story of the Industrial Revolution and the changes that Manchester has seen in recent years. It was great to have a chance to share what MOSI has to offer with the Radio 4 audience, and the team here is excited about working more with the BBC in future as they get settled into Media City.

These are a few of my favourite things #2

Back O’ Th’ Bank generator (or Big Jennie as she’s affectionately known!)

An impressive AC generator with steam turbine, condenser and DC exciter sits in the middle of our current electricity gallery. Used at the Back o' th' Bank Power Station, Bolton, between 1923 and 1984. This turbogenerator was made by the English Electric Company and was one of six in operation in the turbine hall.  This was used to condense the steam once it had passed through the turbine. The steam's movement through the turbine made the blades rotate, producing electricity.

Big Jennie is an imposing object, standing a good 3 or 4 foot taller than the average visitor, so it is doubtful she'll be moving anywhere during the redevelopment - and why would we want her to?!! Proudly displaying some robust engineering clout and still in working order to this day, we plan to bring her story to life through some clever light, sound and projector tricks! 

These are a few of my favourite things #1

Although the Electricity Gallery is lined up for a refurb, it still reveals some absolute gems to the visitors today! Here are just 2 of them, in time for the weekend…

Toaster: c1937, with hinged sides that dropped down for inserting the bread. As the heating elements were in the centre, only one side of each slice could be toasted at a time. To add to the trauma, it had no heat control or timer either. Toasters were initially advertised as a handy appliance for producing fresh toast right at the dining table – just the thing to impress your guests.  But it was somewhat of an art to produce the perfect slice.

The electric toaster was invented in 1893, however the heating elements of this time used iron resistance wire, which was prone to become rusty and brittle. The development of a new metal compound, Nichrome, solved these problems and allowed companies to develop it into what we know (and love) today.

Keeping with a kitchen theme, this sink-top electric dishwasher was made by Electrolux Ltd in 1951. The original owner bought it after seeing one displayed as an example of well-designed British products at the 1951 Festival of Britain. Dishwashers were very rare in British homes at this time, but the lightweight sink-top models were more affordable than the larger floor-standing models. Ownership of dishwashers increased from only 2% of British homes in 1973 to more than 33% in 2006!

Confessions of a Curator #4

I had a productive meeting recently with Ener-G, the thriving Salford-based CHP and energy management company with worldwide operations.  We’re hoping we can work together on issues ranging from the Energy Galleries future plan to practical work at MOSI, such as apprentice placements and maybe putting more CHP on site to make the museum greener and save money.  Thanks Ener-G!

Operations Director, Peter Law, with a CHP unit