List of museums in Cheshire facts for kids
Cheshire is a cool place in England with lots of awesome museums! These museums are special places that collect and look after all sorts of interesting things. They show off their collections to everyone, helping us learn about art, science, history, and culture. You won't find any museums that are only online here – these are all real places you can visit!
Many museums in Cheshire tell the story of how things used to be made. For example, you can explore old cotton factories like Quarry Bank Mill in Styal and Clarence Mill in Bollington. The Macclesfield Museums teach you all about silk, while the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes shows how chemicals were made. You can even learn about salt production at the Lion Salt Works in Marston and the Weaver Hall Museum in Northwich.
If you love engines, the Anson Engine Museum in Poynton is built on the site of an old coal mine and has amazing machines. For space fans, the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre in Lower Withington lets you explore the universe. There are also museums about how people used to travel, like the Crewe Heritage Centre for trains, the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port, and the Anderton Boat Lift for canals. You can even see old water-powered mills at Bunbury, Nether Alderley, and Stretton.
The cities of Chester and Warrington each have museums that also include art galleries. Towns like Congleton and Nantwich have museums focused on their local history. Norton Priory is what's left of an ancient monastery, and the Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum tells the story of a religious group called the Primitive Methodists. You can also visit grand old houses like Little Moreton Hall and Lyme Park to see how people lived long ago.
For those interested in military history, the Cheshire Military Museum in Chester Castle covers the county's army groups. The RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre and the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker explore more recent military stories. The Museum of Policing in Warrington shows the history of Cheshire's police forces. And for something truly unique, the Cuckooland Museum has a fantastic collection of cuckoo clocks!
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Discover Cheshire's Amazing Museums!
Cheshire is packed with fascinating places to visit. Here's a list of some of the best museums and galleries you can explore:
Historic Houses and Castles
This country house has parts that are over 500 years old! You can explore its beautiful gardens too. It's located in Adlington.
A grand Victorian mansion built between 1833 and 1841. It has lovely gardens and a farm. You can find it in Arley.
Explore the ruins of a castle built in the 1100s, complete with its own museum. It's in Beeston.
A beautiful house with a Jacobean style, a Georgian chapel, gardens, and parkland. Located in Siddington.
A Jacobean house with lovely gardens and woodlands. You can visit it in Acton.
A stunning historic house with huge gardens and grounds. It's in Dunham Massey.
This is a black-and-white timber-framed manor house that looks like it's from a storybook! Find it in Gawsworth.
A unique, moated house from the 1400s, famous for its wonky look. The National Trust looks after it in Congleton.
A grand mansion with furnished rooms, tapestries, and a deer park. The National Trust also cares for this one in Disley.
An Elizabethan brick house from 1585 with a beautiful park. It's located in Peover Superior.
A Georgian country house with lovely gardens. You can find it in Congleton.
An 18th-century house with amazing art and furniture collections. It's in Knutsford.
Part of Tatton Park, this early 19th-century house has collections of art, books, and furniture. The National Trust looks after it in Knutsford.
Industry and Science Museums
See this incredible boat lift that connects the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal. It has a visitor centre in Anderton.
A collection of old engines, a blacksmith's shop, and a carpentry shop, all on the site of an old coal mine in Poynton.
- Bollington Discovery Centre
Learn about the local cotton industry, canals, and history in this centre located in Clarence Mill in Bollington.
A restored water-powered mill from the mid-1800s. It also has a wildlife pond in Bunbury.
Explore the exciting world of chemistry and the history of the chemical industry in Widnes.
See the famous Lovell radio telescope and explore exhibitions about planets, space, and the solar system. It's in Lower Withington.
A working open-pan salt works and museum where you can see how salt was made. It's in Marston.
Four museums that tell the story of the local silk industry, including the Silk Museum and Paradise Mill. They are all in Macclesfield.
Discover canal boats and the history of canals in Ellesmere Port.
A Victorian water-powered corn mill looked after by the National Trust in Nether Alderley.
An old cotton mill and textile museum, also cared for by the National Trust in Styal.
A working water mill that has been around since 1351! It's in Stretton.
Learn about salt making, local history, and archaeology in Northwich.
Local History and Culture Museums
Explore the history of the local area in Congleton.
- Dewa Roman Experience
See Roman British artifacts and reconstructed Roman fort buildings in Chester.
Discover the history of the Primitive Methodist religious movement from the 1800s. It's in Englesea-Brook.
This museum in Chester has a bit of everything: Roman history, art, musical instruments, natural history, and local stories.
Learn about Nantwich's local history, including its role in the Civil War, salt, cheese, and old industries.
Explore the ruins of a 12th-century abbey and an 18th-century country house, with archaeological finds and medieval history in Runcorn.
This museum in Warrington covers natural history, local history, archaeology, and fine art.
Military and Unique Museums
Discover the history of Cheshire's army groups, located in the old barracks at Chester Castle.
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See trains, locomotives, signal boxes, and miniature railways on the site of the old Crewe Locomotive Works. It's in Crewe.
A truly special museum dedicated to cuckoo clocks! You can find it in Tabley.
Explore a former government nuclear bunker with exhibits about the Cold War and military history. It's in Hack Green.
- Hadlow Road railway station
This museum recreates the station office exactly as it was on the day it closed. It's located on the Wirral Way in Willaston.
Learn about the former US air base, with exhibits on life there, aeroplanes, and engines. It's in Burtonwood.
- The Museum of Policing in Cheshire
This museum in Warrington shows the history of Cheshire's police forces, with uniforms, old records, and even a Doctor Who police box!
Past Museums and Galleries
Some museums and galleries in Cheshire have closed over the years:
- Axis Arts Centre, Crewe (closed in 2019)
- Chester Toy and Doll Museum, Chester
- Mouldsworth Motor Museum, Mouldsworth (closed in 2013)
- On The Air: Broadcasting Museum, Chester (closed in 2000)
