An upcoming project in Manchester will see a popular dinosaur exhibit temporarily leave its long-term home for an unusual holiday destination.
Stan, the Tyrannosaurus rex cast housed at the Manchester Museum, is scheduled to be relocated to the Gala Pool at Victoria Baths in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester. The temporary residency will run from 22 March to 19 April 2027. This marks the first time the skeleton has been moved since it was installed at the university museum in 2004.
Relocating the dinosaur requires a specialist team to dismantle and reassemble the cast over a full week. Measuring 12 metres in length and 3.7 metres in height, the skeleton is roughly the size of a double-decker bus and must be handled in a strict order to maintain counterbalance. During the residency, the exhibit will serve as the focal point for a programme of events, with a temporary replacement at the museum to be announced later this year.
Georgina Young, Acting Director at Manchester Museum, explained the reasoning behind the move. “Manchester Museum cares for around 4.5m objects and taking them to unexpected places creates new opportunities for learning and connection. Our Asian elephant Maharajah spent time in Piccadilly Station, and we’ve taken Egyptian shabtis into schools, but Stan is our biggest, boldest move yet,” she said.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for people to experience this incredible Tyrannosaurus rex in an entirely different context. Not only is Victoria Baths breathtakingly beautiful, but their team will bring renewed creativity to encounters with Stan”.
Playful dino
Anthony Baker, CEO of the Victoria Baths Trust, provided a playful response to the partnership. “Victoria Baths would like to state for the record that we did not invite a T. rex skeleton into our Grade II* listed swimming pool. Stan has made his own arrangements, and we are simply going along with it. He is insisting that we open our doors for free so that as many people can visit him as possible, and it is very difficult to say no to a giant dinosaur, especially when he asked so nicely,” he added.
“Stan is also planning a series of unique events and activities that will take place whilst he is staying with us. He won’t tell us exactly what just yet, but he keeps calling it ‘Stan’s Programme of Amazing Events’ and waving his tiny arms excitedly. Whatever happens, we are confident that it will be lots of fun and unlike anything that anyone has ever seen. We aren’t worried about it. A T. rex in an empty, historic pool… what could go wrong?”
The Manchester cast was originally made from a fossil excavated in South Dakota by avocational palaeontologist Stan Sacrison in 1992. The original 67 million year old specimen is currently displayed at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi. The cast in Manchester was uniquely posed in a flat run upon its 2004 installation, and its bones display ancient injuries, including a neck fracture and a skull cavity.
Vivarium redevelopment
In addition to the temporary relocation of the dinosaur, the museum has confirmed a grant of £200,000 from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund. This funding will support the Habitats of Hope project, a major redevelopment of its Vivarium. The space cares for approximately 30 reptile and amphibian species, including the only captive back-up population of the Variable harlequin toad outside the Americas, managed in partnership with Panama Wildlife Conservation Charity.
The project aims to modernise public displays and build bespoke naturalistic environments. It will also add dedicated teaching facilities for educational groups. Work will start in December 2026, with completion expected in Spring 2027. The Vivarium will be closed to the public throughout this timeframe.
Young, also speaking in her capacity as Head of Collections and Exhibitions at Manchester Museum, said: “Habitats of Hope speaks to how wonderful and how vulnerable the world’s rarest amphibians are. Major investment from the DCMS/Wolfson Museum and Galleries Improvement Fund means Manchester Museum can match the highest standards of animal care with a more accessible visitor experience, while weaving stories of research, conservation, partnership and action that stretch from thriving ponds in Manchester to hyper-biodiverse ecosystems in Costa Rica and Panama”.
