Greater Manchester Museums

Astley Green Colliery Museum   

Astley Green was a fully operational coal mine until its closure in 1970, and has now been fully restored as a working museum

Higher Green Lane, Astley Green, Tyldesley, Manchester. M29 7JB   Tel: 01942 828121  Email

Bolton Museum, Art Gallery and Aquarium   

The museum has collections of fine and decorative art, botany, geology, egyptology, local history and zoology. The aquarium breeds endangered and exotic fresh water fish from across the world.

Le Mans Crescent, Bolton, BL1 1SE  Tel: 01204 332211  Email

Bury Art Gallery & Museum 

Decorative and Applied Art, Fine Art, Social History including the Wrigley collection of Constable, Landseer and Turner paintings.

Moss Street Bury BL9 0DR  Tel: 0161 253 5878   Email
 
Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum   

The official Museum of GMC Fire Service. With many and varied exhibits include several full- size fire appliances, along with equipment, uniforms, models, photographs, medals and insignia, which together portray the history of fire fighting in general, but particularly within Greater Manchester.

Maclure Road,  Rochdale. OL11 1DN Tel: 01706 901227   Email

Greater Manchester Police Museum  

Housed in a former police station on Newton Street in the city centre.  Covering the history of policing in the city, the museum is packed with force clothing, equipment and weapons as used throughout the years.  Complete with a dozen cells.

Newton Street, Manchester, M1 1ES.  Tel: 0161 856 3287   Email

The Gallery of Costume

Has one of the finest collections of clothing, textiles and fashion accessories in the country. An extensive library of fashion and design books, magazines, catalogues and prints is also available to students and researchers

Platt Fields, Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, Manchester M14 5LL  Tel: 0161- 224 5217

Hat Works - Museum of Hatting  

Demonstrates Stockport's historic links with hatting and how the industry flourished employing over 4,500 people by the end of the 19th century. You can see the hatting demonstrators as they reveal the art and mystery of hat making and see the planking kettle where mercury was once used in the felting process

Wellington Mill, Wellington Road South, Stockport SK3 0EU  Tel: 0161 355 7770 Email

Heaton Park Tramway Museum

A collection of trams, exhibition displays, artefacts photographs and working models relating to the history and development of trams and tramways in the Manchester area, from the early horse-drawn trams of Victorian England

Tram Depot, Heaton Park, Prestwich,  Manchester M25 5SW. Telephone: 0161-740 1919

Imperial War Museum North   

The Museum utilises many new and innovative modern exhibition design techniques and used the very latest interactive technologies to enhance the visitor experience, although, there are still some reassuringly conventional glass cases with memorabilia and exhibits to satisfy the more conservative visitor, as well as there being occasional free standing artefacts of war - a field gus, a Russian tank, and a Harrier Jet, among others. The Museum's interactive multimedia facilities elevate it from being merely another dry exhibition space to produce a truly 21st century centre aimed at bringing the stark realities of war to visitors of all ages.

The Quays Trafford Wharf Trafford Park Manchester M17 1TE   Tel: 0161 836 4000  Email

Lancashire Fusiliers Museum   

Displays the the 300 year history of the Lancashire Fusiliers from 1688 to 1968. On display is a great deal of military memorabilia including items which belonged to James Wolfe, the Battle of Minden, Napoleonic relics, mementoes of the Crimean War, the Battle of Omdurman, South African memorabilia of the 1914-18 Great War, and more generally of the Second World War

Wellington Barracks  Bolton Street  Bury  BL8 2PL  Tel: 0161 764 2208  Email

Manchester Museum

A world class museum with many significant exhibitions:  Archaeology, Archives, Coins and Medals, Costume and Textiles, Decorative and Applied Art, Medicine, Natural Sciences, Weapons and War, World Cultures

Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL  Tel: 0161-275 2634. Email

Manchester’s Museum of Transport

Collection consists of nearly ninety historical vehicles, of which a large proportion are buses from the Greater Manchester area, as well as a substantial collection of archives and transport related objects, which help to give a wider perspective to the large collection of vehicles

Boyle Street, Cheetham  Manchester M8 8UW  Tel: 0161-205 2122

Manchester Jewish Museum

The Museum tells the story of the Jewish community in Manchester over the last 200 years. It has a collection of photographs, documents and room settings which help visitors gain an impression of the people who arrived here during various periods of Jewish immigration - largely as a result of European wars and anti-Semitic pogroms.

190 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, M8 8LW Tel: 0161 834 9879   Email

Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester

The science kid stuff is really for kids and not for grown-ups with a inquisitive mind. The not so technically minded can still enjoy the beauty of early technology, from which you can see the craftman’s pride. There are changing exhibitions on the socio-historical aspects of the science, industry, and technology revolutions.
 
Liverpool Road,  Castlefield,  Manchester  M3 4FP Tel: 0161 832 1830 Email

Museum of the Manchester Regiment   

The Museum tells the story of the Regiment and its soldiers through 200 years of history, from 1758 until 1958.

Town Hall Building, Ashton-u-Lyne, OL6 6DL  Tel: 0161 342 2812 Email

Ordsall Hall  & Museum

A magnificent black and white half timbered Tudor manor house located in the heart of Salford. Fully furnished with 17th Century furniture and exhibits. The hall was purchased by Salford Corporation from the Executors of the Baron Egerton of Tatton in 1959 and, following major restoration work, was finally opened to the public in April 1972 as a period house and local history museum.

Ordsall Lane, Ordsall, Salford  M5 3AN  Tel: 0161-872 0251  Email

Pankhurst Centre

Number 62 is one of two Georgian houses where the Women’s Social and Political Union was formed in 1903.

60-62 Nelson Street in Chorlton-on-Medlock M13 9WP, Tel: 0161 273 5673. Email

People's History Museum   

The national centre for the collection, conservation, interpretation and study of material relating to the history of working people in Britain. The museum is on two sites.

103 Princess Street  Manchester  M1 6DD Tel: 0161 228 7212   Email

Portland Basin Museum   

Set at the confluence of 3 canals, the Portland Basin Industrial Heritage Centre tells the social and economic history of the people of Tameside, with permanent, visiting and changing exhibitions. Set exhibits cover everything from cotton spinning to Fish and Chips!, including a fully restored water wheel.

Heritage Wharf  Portland Place Ashton-under-Lyne  OL7 0QA  Tel: 0161 343 2878  Email

Rochdale Pioneers Museum   

Toad Lane, Rochdale is widely regarded as the home of the worldwide co-operative movement. The Museum exists to preserve the original store of the Rochdale Pioneers and to generate an understanding of the ideals and principles of the co-operative movement

31 Toad Lane, Rochdale,  OL12 0NU   Tel: 01706 524920  Email

Saddleworth Museum and Art Gallery 

The Museum opened in 1962 and is situated in one of the out buildings of the 19th century Victoria Mill. The Museum is full of interesting objects from the past and tells the story of the people who have created Saddleworth's landscape and character:

High Street, Uppermill, Oldham  OL3 6HS   Tel: 01457-874093 & 870336.  Email

Salford Museum and Art Gallery

Collections of paintings and sculpture, old masters, contemporary art. Salford's most famous artist LS Lowry. Library has local history section photographic collections

Peel Park, Salford M5 4WU Tel:  0161 736 2649  Email

Urbis   

Ultra modern all glass structure set in the recently named Cathedral Gardens. Explores urban culture and the cities of today and tomorrow

Cathedral Gardens, Manchester M4 3BG  Tel: 0161 605 8200  Email

Opies Museum of Memories   

Aspects of daily life from the past 100 years are remembered decade by decade. Newspapers, magazines, comics, toys and games, entertainment and music, advertising, design and fashion, groceries and sweets.

Wigan Pier, Wallgate Wigan WN3 4EU   Tel:01942 323666 Email