The 12-metre-long dinosaur will take over the historic Gala Pool during a free four-week residency...
Stan, the famous Tyrannosaurus rex that towers above the glass display cases at Manchester Museum’s Fossils Gallery, is set to leave the museum for the first time since arriving in 2004.
The full-size skeleton cast will move to Victoria Baths for a four-week residency, going on display inside the Grade II-listed building’s Gala Pool from 22 March to 19 April 2027.
Moving the 12-metre-long and 3.7-metre-tall dinosaur will take a team of specialists around a week. Its bones must be dismantled and reassembled in a strict order to maintain the correct counterbalance and prevent the skeleton from toppling over.
Stan will remain on public display throughout the free residency and will become the centrepiece of a wider programme of events and activities, with further details due to be announced.
Manchester Museum is also developing plans for a temporary replacement in its Fossils Gallery while Stan is away.
Georgina Young, Acting Director at Manchester Museum, said: “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.
“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.”
Anthony Baker, CEO of the Victoria Baths Trust, added: “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.
“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?”
Stan is a cast made from one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever discovered. Its installation in Manchester was the first to display a T. rex skeleton in a flat running position, appearing to pursue its prey.
The dinosaur was named after Stan Sacrison, the amateur palaeontologist who discovered the original fossil in South Dakota. Excavated in 1992 and estimated to be around 67 million years old, the specimen shows evidence of injuries including a fractured neck and a cavity in the skull apparently caused by another T. rex tooth.
The original fossil is currently on display at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi.
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