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    Imperial War Museum North

    4.2 (48 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    nah you're alright (2015)
    Jessica H.

    Has it really been three years since I last reviewed the Imperial War Museum North? This in no way reflects my frequency to the museum! On a recent visit from the other half's parents, we returned once again to have a look around and explore the Media City area. It was freezing, as Manchester naturally is, so we went directly to the museum, which is handily located across the bridge from the Media City tram stop (as opposed to Harbour City, which used to be the most conveniently located.) We were warmly welcome by front of house, then wandered upstairs to the exhibition spaces. The special space is currently occupied by WW1; you can walk from 'street to trench', learning about conscription and real life war stories along the way. The recording of veterans and women on the front recounting their personal stories was enough to tip me over the edge at that particular time, but they are very emotional and moving. The main exhibition space hasn't changed dramatically but still retains its impact, especially the large projection shows that happen on the hour, which are a very clever use of the size of the room. The window frames from the Twin Towers probably hit me the most powerfully due its closeness in time, and it's 'good' (not a word I really want to use!) to see the breadth of war being represented. I hope the IWM continues to go from strength to strength as the Quays grow in popularity.

    It's a really terrific building
    Michael B.

    The IWM North explores the impact of conflicts from the last 100 years on people and society. The striking building (designed by Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind) occupies a site overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal in Trafford Park, coincidentally an area which was heavily bombed during the Manchester Blitz in 1940. There's a series of images on the reception area's wall which shows how the design of the building was created. The architect imagined a globe shattered by conflict into three interlocking shards: representing war fought in the air, on the earth and on the water. Parked outside the museum building is a solitary ex-Iraqi Army T-55 tank which was captured by the British Army in 2003. You enter the museum via the bottom of the air shard and there's a viewing balcony with views of the Manchester skyline (you have to pay for this, however). You're first met by a seven metre tall three dimensional sculpture (The Crusader) which is covered with a web of war-torn buildings. I must have stared at this for about ten minutes. On the first floor there's a permanent exhibition on display in the cavernous main space, as well as regular exhibitions in a separate gallery, supported by hourly audiovisual presentations which are projected on to the walls themselves (for which you just have to stop and watch/listen as they are thoroughly interesting). The permanant exhibits are in chronological order around the main exhibition space, with six 'silos' showing displays scattered throughout the gallery. The floor itself gradually drops away like the curvature of the Earth, which was a great touch. Alongside the number of large artefacts (which includes a Harrier jet and a car from East Germany) is one which is particularly sombre in nature: a huge twisted piece of steel from the North Tower of the fallen World Trade Center. Even if you're not particularly a fan of history, this museum is an absolute must visit as what you see sticks with you long after you leave - exactly what is supposed to happen. Tip: the water shard accommodates a cafe with views of the Manchester Ship Canal.

    Chris T.

    Amazing War Museum whats free to get in, But you can donate if you like, Its amazing architecture of steel is striking from the outside as well as the inside, the exhibits are amazing and everything about the place is pretty chilling which is based on World War 1 and 2 and more up to date things like a part of structure from the World Trade Centre from 9/11. Its a fantastic museum to see when youre in Manchester.

    http://north.iwm.org.uk/
    Kirsten P.

    I have visited this free museum on countless occasions and have never become bored of it. Libeskind's amazing angular building which was designed to represent a broken globe houses a timeline of warfare from WW1 to the present day, themed silos, moving exhibits, amazing audio-visual shows, thought-provoking special exhibitons, a scary viewing tower, a café.... Needless to say I was very jealous when I heard that my housemate had her work's Christmas do here - right among the exhibits! Unlike Emma-Louise, I am no history buff. I mean, I took GCSE history, and have a degree in German which inevitably touched on some aspects of history, but I would never voluntarily read a history book. I would strongly recommend this museum for people like me - there isn't too much information to read, just plenty of well laid out exhibits which tell their own stories. I am a particular fan of the Trabant, a car which I often saw driving the streets of the small East German town in lived in for a year. My friend was moved to tears by the letters sent out to war widows informing them that their husbands would not be returning. I was kind of dubious about taking my 8-year-old niece here. After all, war is boring, right? However, she loved it so much that we were still here at closing time (after spending over 2 hours inside!). There are several interactive exhibits for children where they can guess the smells, dress up in camouflage and create their own symbol. She especially loved going up the clunky lift to the viewing tower and scaring other visitors by informing them that her uncle was so scared he had to go down the stairs. This costs 90p for adults but is worth it if you haven't been before and you don't have a fear of heights. I went to the museum a couple of weeks ago to catch the popular exhibition of war photographer Don McCullin's photos. I would certainly recommend a visit to this free exhibition which depicts life in pictures from his childhood in the London ghettos, to his war photographs from all over the world, to his recent landscape photography. The exhibition is on until 13th June 2010.

    Ellie B.

    I'm not a massive fan of war history but this place is pretty damn cool - and free. Situated next to the canal at Salford's MediaCityUK, you can't miss its impressive, iconic exterior. But the thing that impressed me the most was a short film by the folk who produce Horrible Histories, which was projected on the walls of the museum's main room. They'd made it funny, colourful and easy for kids to understand, it was fab. There are also loads of interactive bits and pieces for kids (or adults with short attention spans) to enjoy... One thing did freak me out though - the museum has a piece of twisted metal from inside one of the twin towers, post 9/11. It sent shivers down my spine because it doesn't seem like that long ago since it happened. I'm fine with World War II tanks and cannons etc but that was a bit much for me and I had to run off in search of something fun. The gift shop is great though - they sell all your usual branded rubbers, bookmarks and pencils as well as vintage style telephones and radios. Some really good present ideas!

    The exhibition space all done up
    Katie H.

    The IWM North is a one of my fail safe options of things to do with new visitors to Manchester or just for a cultural day out. The architecture of the building is absolutely magnificent and has to be seen by any visitors to the city, or anyone really. The museum itself, without meaning to sound condescending, does what it says on the tin. The permanent exhibition is really educational and really quite emotive in places. Every time I visit, I shed a tear. I have been to some of the other 'special' exhibitions over the years and all have been brilliant. I have never eaten in the cafe but understand the views are brilliant. My fellow Yelpers may be surprised to learn that you can hire out the main exhibition space for events. I went to the PA Awards Dinner there and it was great to see this space in a different light. There were over 200 people in this space, though I think 150 might give you more space. The food was tasty - a smoke salmon starter with balsamic sauce, chicken main and creme brulee for desert. We had a champagne reception and good wine on the table. There was also room for a small dance floor. Definitely a place to visit and a place to consider for corporate events or even personal ones such as weddings, birthday parties etc.

    Jordan L.

    A few times I have been here and it's always been the same, but I suppose that's history for you haha. There is a good selection of things to see here all quite spread out in a tall open building and some nice designs on the walls. There's some cool vehicles and guns, some life size such as tanks. At certain times of the day they have a projector show on inside where all the walls have projected videos onto them and your advised to sit down, relax and learn more about the wars history with a voiceover explaining things. You can also go up to the top floor where there's a glass window in which to see the views of Salford in. All in all not a bad place to go.

    Qype User (Paulo_…)

    Daniel Libeskind's first UK building and a simply wonderful one at that. Given that a shortfall in budget made him adapt his design rather than walk away like a spoiled brat is testament to this architects attitude and expertise. This was apparently designed after Daniel Libeskind through a ceramic teapot out of the window - the shards were then rearranged to form the basis of a new design (the shards representing a world broken by conflict). It looks fantastic from most angles and my only concern is that it's a little tucked away from, well, anywhere. Although for myself and friends, the walk across the ship canal bridge (from the Lowry) isn't that far, for elder people it might just be a barrier to going to see what is a high quality museum. However, there's talk of a tram stop nearer to the Lowry and IWMN and a brand new bridge over the ship canal from the media city to this museum. It's interior is as baffling as the exterior. It's quite easy to lose your sense of perspective and balance as it happens - floors are set at angles as are the ceilings and soon enough you'll almost be lost in a cathedral like alcove. Whilst there's rather less substantial artefacts (i.e. tanks etc.) than in the London branch of IWM, there's a whole host of personal correspondence relating to war, which actually bring the strife of conflict much closer to home. Every half hour or so the museum is completely taken over by a series of projections displayed on the huge walls dominating the interior. These are set against a soundtrack containing sound effects (quite loud - might make the younger kids jump out of their skin) and commentary about the effects of war across the world in the past and it's continuing misery today. A must see visit, but make sure you have the time to view the attraction more closely. IWMN contains a gift shop (and a good one at that) and a café.

    Qype User (youngd…)

    Concentrating on people's experience of war, rather than the hardware, it's a fascinating introduction for people and keeps all ages interested. Lovely piece of architecture too.

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    Quite good to visit. Has a few interested exhibits. The lift to the top didn't feel to safe though lol

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    13 years ago

    Deffinetly a must go to for anyone interested in history. Plenty to see and can't go wrong with free entry.

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    Imperial War Museum North Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Imperial War Museum North

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    People's History Museum

    People's History Museum

    3.8(18 reviews)
    2.0 miSpinningfields

    We were advised to go to the museum in a bar the night before. It was a pleasantly surprising…read moreexperience. You have free entry to an excellent walk through of English history in light of worker rights and living conditions. It takes you from Peterloo to current day by exploring the impact of class distinction, the industrial revolution and onwards. Very interesting and insightful.

    I'm going to do something really bad right now. I'm going to review a museum... café! Without…read morereviewing the museum itself, you see. So last Saturday I sidled in here, sheltering from the Mancunian drizzle, to get me some lunchtime eats. I was greeted by a very pleasant man who seemed to be running the show by himself, and there were countless comfy sofas and chairs and vertigo-inducingly high tables and stools dotted around. It was quiet, and that's the way I like it. The Left Bank café's incredibly sleek, as one would expect from a Couture Café enterprise (my, all Manc's museum eateries seem to be in bed with one another!). I clocked the chalkboards behind the dude in charge and saw 'vegetarian hot sandwich'. SOLD! Only then I was crushed, because as soon as I started saying it the gent told me the chef doesn't work on weekends so the options were pre-made sandwiches and soup. But this is where the place started to shine. When I heard tomato I winced, thinking, 'If this is cream of tomato, I'm outie.' Nope! Inspection of the self-service vat revealed a vegetably proper Italian soup, and since it was self-service, I totally abused my bowl. The bread was also help yourself, in a cute little box behind the soup, with options of white and granary. Very nice it was too. Combined with a very good strong coffee my lunch only cost me a little over a fiver, and I was full to the brim. I made a mental note to go back on a weekday and try more of their options. Oh, and I might have to check out the museum too. PHM, thankies for providing me with a most pleasant weekend afternoon!

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    People's History Museum
    People's History Museum
    People's History Museum

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    Manchester Museum - Stairs to the levels

    Manchester Museum

    4.3(34 reviews)
    2.7 miOxford Road Corridor
    £

    This is a very impressive museum full of artifacts and exhibits. We loved everything about this…read moremuseum and the best part was the entrance is free! They have artifacts from Egypt, Africa, and many locations. They have quite a bit of wild animal exhibits representing the different species in the UK. They have a nice cafe to sit and rest also. They have a lift. I definitely recommend this museum. So nice and so much to see.

    Imagine it is 150 years ago, and you are a rich, white English dude. You travel the world and…read moresimply help yourself to whatever catches the fancy of your magpie little brain. You plunder flora and fauna, antiquities, important cultural objects from other peoples. You compete with other rich, white dudes to create the biggest collection of the most random things someone could think of. "I have one of every butterfly on each of the inhabited continents!" "Oh yeah, my stuffed 2-toed sloth is bigger than yours!" Fast forward to the present, and the current caretakers of this hodgepodge of objects of dubious provenance are tasked with creating cohesive exhibits for the public. There are some really interesting pieces in the museum. I was able to hold a 2,000 year-old carved stone perfum vial. See the cross section of a turtle skeleton (so cool how the spines follow the inner curve of the shell), admire a stuffed porcupine. It was fascinating to think about what caught the fancy of people in the past. I would have loved to have seen more discussion of how these objects came to be, and what that tells us about classism, racism, and the history of imperialism. Be that as it may, I'm glad to see that someone's past light fingeredness is at least entertaining and educating the public today, instead of collecting dust in a storage facility somewhere.

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    Manchester Museum - Dinosaur bones

    Dinosaur bones

    Manchester Museum
    Manchester Museum - Exhibit

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    Exhibit

    The Lowry - Yachts, 1959 (watercolour) by LS Lowry

    The Lowry

    4.2(53 reviews)
    0.2 miSalford Quays
    ££

    This is the outlet at the Lowry. We hadn't been here in a few years certainly long before wu flu…read morestruck. I'd guess it's now half empty store wise. Key shops like M&S Clothing, Black & Decker, Tefal and many more all long gone. Harry Ramsden's fish & chips still there along with subway. A chicken shack of sorts, an independent Indian and a BK. The Indian has most food pre cooked and heated on order so no thanks. When there's a Harry's I'm afraid this sort of competition has no chance with me. They used to have a spud u like but it's gone as has an ice cream parlour. The Cadbury alleged chocolate shop is still there but prices are rip off with supermarkets offering identical products much cheaper. Costa coffee is still there and they are now advertising the fact that they are selling M&S food so at least that's quality food. I'm not sure I'd make another trip back here but they still do the artisan market days so that would bring me back.

    A wonderful modern theatre in Salford at the Lowry Centre. The Lyric Theatre is the biggest of the…read moretwo theatres inside of the huge Lowry Centre. It hosts many amazing plays, musicals and many other entertainment options. I have been to see two National Theatre productions here which include the amazing War Horse and recently the Curious incident of the dog in the nighttime. It also has a couple of restaurants and cafes and amazing views to go with it. I have sat in many places in the Lyric theatre and there really isn't one bad seat plus the seats are really comfortable! All the staff who work here are really friendly and they seem to love there job. So take a look at the Lowry website to see if theres a show coming your way soon. Even if you're not sure that you might like the theatre, give it a go you may love it! The Lowry also hosts many art exhibitions which currently has Behind the Mask, the biggest collection of BAFTA-winning actor portraiture ever assembled, which has come to The Lowry for its first time out of London which is worth the trip out of town alone! You can easily get to the Lowry from the city centre of Manchester on one of the Metrolink trams which head towards Media City UK!

    Photos
    The Lowry - Image courtesy of The Lowry website

    Image courtesy of The Lowry website

    The Lowry - Interior, Lowry Gallery by Ben Blackall

    Interior, Lowry Gallery by Ben Blackall

    The Lowry - The artist, LS Lowry, drinking a cup of tea

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    The artist, LS Lowry, drinking a cup of tea

    Ordsall Hall Museum

    Ordsall Hall Museum

    4.3(4 reviews)
    0.9 miOrdsall

    Driving past Ordsall Hall most days (as I live very close to it), I have always enjoyed it as a…read moreplace of beauty and the fascination of its random location. The location is of course the modern development surrounding the site so it looks out of place to have a beautiful old manor right next to modern apartment buildings and industrial units. Perhaps this is what makes it more unique to other similar historic houses? Needless to say, over the last couple of years I have been intrigued as to what on earth they were doing when the whole building was covered in scaffolding and sheeting - like something from a sci fi film but of course logic suggested it was restoration of some sort. Once it re opened recently I was amazed at the job they had done. They had added/rebuilt parts of it, however it has been done with integrity and fits the building perfectly. The grounds and gardens have all been spruced up with beautiful wood bridges and other work. Even the pavement from the car park to the site is beautiful and is the strangest material which I just had to get on my knees to run my hand across its glossy surface. All around the building the stone work and gardens look great so I headed on in for my first look around. It has a great many rooms and seems to be bigger inside than it appears outside. They had members of staff in each room to offer information on what you are looking at, and we got some great photos of my mum in an old style bath (clothed I am glad to say!) and myself sat in the banqueting hall at the head of the table. Once I had sat some staff came over and brought me a velvet robe and crown to look the part to which my old man got his camera out and started snapping. This made a great Facebook profile picture for all my many peasants to admire! They told me that they also have a free hog roast in a couple of week's time when I visited, with entertainments and beverages etc. I would have loved to have gone but sadly I could not make it, however I will definitely go to any other events they hold. Car parking was £2 which of course goes towards the upkeep of the house so I have no qualms about paying to keep a place of history alive in such a modern location. All in all it was a nice visit to have after a large lunch with my parents - and looking around a place like this with the folks made a 34 year old guy feel like a kid again, which is never a bad thing for a sum of £2

    I read about this place but genuinely didn't believe such a property could have survived so close…read moreto the centre of Manchester and the Media City / Quays development. But as we rounded the corner and saw it, we were dumbstruck - it looks so completely out of place! Admission to the hall is free and you can explore the building to your heart's content. They have a small cafe on site too. The downstairs is dominated by the great hall and the kitchen area, whereas upstairs there are exhibits on the history of the building and how children were dressed in Tudor times. In the attic space you can see some of the original wattle and daub construction, which is incredible to think it's survived so long. All the staff on site were incredibly helpful and friendly. The only reason why I've given this 3/5 is that much of the exhibits and the way the place is presented are aimed at children - we attended as two adults and enjoyed it, but there's much more to do if you're with children. Given it's less than 5 minutes' walk from the Exchange Quay Metrolink stop, plus the fact that admission is free, there's really no excuse for not popping by and taking a look.

    Photos
    Ordsall Hall Museum - Tudor details

    Tudor details

    Ordsall Hall Museum
    Ordsall Hall Museum

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    The Biospheric Project

    The Biospheric Project

    5.0(1 review)
    2.3 miCity Centre

    Launched just a few weeks ago as part of the Manchester International Festival, the Biospheric…read moreProject is years in the making, and like nothing you have ever seen before. The Biospheric Project is part urban farm, part research project and part genius. Built (and grown) in a disused mill in a sunny spot on the River Irwell in Salford, the Biospheric Project is a living laboratory investigating new ideas for farming and food production in urban environments. The project has taken over three stories in the disused mill, as well as the roof and surrounding land in a small and radical farming project. Using connected systems like aquaponics, hydroponics and forest farming, the project is combining radical techniques and inventing new technologies to farm food and feed the planet's growing needs. All of the different elements of the 'biosphere' are connected, as they are in nature, and you can see the entire ecosystem from start to finish - from the earthworms creating new soil to the produce being harvested and sold locally in the community. (They even have an indoor/outdoor beehive, and chickens on the roof!) The Project is wonderfully presented, with information boards explaining the different elements and ideas, as well as the researchers themselves who offer exceptional guided tours and explain their projects fluently and passionately. You are watching people's PhD projects unfurl before them, and it is hard not to get excited with them about the fantastic and groundbreaking research they are conducting. The Project is closed to the public for a few weeks whilst the team there take a break after unveiling their work at MIF. But never fear, the Project will be growing and developing over the next ten years, so there will be plenty of opportunities to take a look. Check their website for details of upcoming talks and tours. (There are also lots of activities for schools and groups).

    Photos
    The Biospheric Project
    The Biospheric Project
    The Biospheric Project

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    Imperial War Museum North - museums - Updated May 2026

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