List of museums in Cheshire facts for kids

This article is about the many exciting museums and art galleries you can visit in Cheshire, England!

A museum is a special place that collects and takes care of interesting objects. These objects can be about history, art, science, or culture. Museums then show these collections to the public so everyone can learn and enjoy them. This list also includes art galleries, which are places that display art. We won't be looking at museums that only exist online.

Cheshire has many museums that show off its industrial past. You can learn about cotton at Quarry Bank Mill in Styal and Clarence Mill in Bollington. The Macclesfield Museums teach you about silk. At the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes, you can explore the world of chemicals. The Lion Salt Works in Marston and Weaver Hall Museum in Northwich tell the story of salt making.

If you like engines, the Anson Engine Museum in Poynton is built on an old coal mine site. For space fans, the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre in Lower Withington is all about astronomy. There are also museums about transport, like the Crewe Heritage Centre for trains, the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port for canals, and the amazing Anderton Boat Lift. You can also see old water-powered mills at Bunbury, Nether Alderley and Stretton.

The cities of Chester and Warrington each have a museum that also includes an art gallery. The towns of Congleton and Nantwich have museums about their local history. Norton Priory shows the remains of an old abbey. The Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum tells the story of a religious movement called Primitive Methodism.

You can also visit historic houses like Little Moreton Hall and Lyme Park. The Cheshire Military Museum in Chester Castle covers the history of the county's military groups. The RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre and Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker explore more recent military history. The Museum of Policing in Warrington shows the history of Cheshire's police forces. For something really unique, the Cuckooland Museum has a collection of cuckoo clocks!

Museums and Galleries to Explore

Here is a list of museums and galleries you can visit in Cheshire:

Name	Image	Location	Type	What you can see
Adlington Hall		Adlington	Historic house	A country house that is very old, with parts from the 1400s. It also has beautiful gardens.
Anderton Boat Lift		Anderton	Transportation	A special lift for boats where the River Weaver and Trent and Mersey Canal meet. It has a visitor centre too.
Anson Engine Museum		Poynton	Technology	A collection of old engines, a blacksmith's workshop, and a carpentry shop. It's built on the site of an old coal mine.
Arley Hall		Arley	Historic house	An early Victorian mansion built between 1833 and 1841. It has a chapel, formal gardens, and a farm.
Bollington Discovery Centre		Bollington	Industry	Learn about the local cotton industry, canals, local history, and art. It is located inside Clarence Mill.
Beeston Castle		Beeston	Castle	The ruins of a castle from the 1100s, with its own museum.
Bunbury Mill		Bunbury	Mill	A restored water-powered mill from the mid-1800s. It also has a wildlife pond.
Capesthorne Hall		Siddington	Historic house	A house built in the Jacobean style, with a Georgian Chapel, gardens, and parkland.
Catalyst Science Discovery Centre		Widnes	Science	Explore chemistry and the history of the chemical industry.
Cheshire Military Museum		Chester	Military	Discover the history of Cheshire's military regiments. It is located in the old barracks at Chester Castle.
Congleton Museum		Congleton	Local	Learn about the history of the local area.
Crewe Heritage Centre		Crewe	Railway and Local	See trains, locomotives, signal boxes, and miniature railways. It's on the site of the old Crewe Locomotive Works.
Cuckooland Museum		Tabley	Horology	A unique museum with a large collection of cuckoo clocks.
Dewa Roman Experience		Chester	History	See Roman British artifacts and reconstructed buildings from a Roman army fortress.
Dorfold Hall		Acton	Historic house	A Jacobean house with gardens and woodland.
Dunham Massey Hall		Dunham Massey	Historic House	A beautiful historic house with large gardens and grounds.
Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum		Englesea-Brook	Religious	Learn about the history of the Primitive Methodism religious movement from the 1800s.
Gawsworth Old Hall		Gawsworth	Historic house	A black-and-white timber-framed manor house.
Grosvenor Museum		Chester	Multiple	Explore Roman history, art, musical instruments, natural history, and local history.
Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker		Hack Green	Military	A former government nuclear bunker with exhibits about the Cold War and military history.
Hadlow Road railway station		Willaston	Railway museum	A recreation of the station office on the day the station closed. It's located on the Wirral Way.
Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre		Lower Withington	Science	See the Lovell radio telescope and learn about planets, space, and the Solar System.
Lion Salt Works		Marston	Industry	A working salt works and museum where you can see how salt was made.
Little Moreton Hall		Congleton	Historic house	A moated, half-timbered manor house from the 1400s. It is looked after by the National Trust.
Lyme Park		Disley	Historic house	A large mansion with furnished rooms, including tapestries and old books. It has formal gardens and a deer park, managed by the National Trust.
Macclesfield Museums		Macclesfield	Industry	Four museums that teach about the local silk industry, including the Silk Museum and the Heritage Centre.
Nantwich Museum		Nantwich	Local	Learn about local history, including Cheshire's role in the Civil War, salt, cheese, and old industries like clothing and clock-making.
National Waterways Museum		Ellesmere Port	Transport	See canal boats and learn about the history of canals.
Nether Alderley Mill		Nether Alderley	Mill	A Victorian water-powered corn mill, managed by the National Trust.
Norton Priory Museum		Runcorn	Religious	Explore a 12th- to 16th-century abbey and an 18th-century country house. See ruins, archaeological finds, and learn about medieval history.
Peover Hall		Peover Superior	Historic house	An Elizabethan brick house from 1585 with a landscaped park from the 1700s.
Quarry Bank Mill		Styal	Industry	A former cotton mill and textile museum, managed by the National Trust.
RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre		Burtonwood	Military	The site of a former US air base. See exhibits about life at the base, as well as old aeroplanes and engines.
Rode Hall and Gardens		Congleton	Historic house	A Georgian country house with beautiful gardens.
Stretton Watermill		Stretton	Mill	A working water mill that was first mentioned in records in 1351.
Tabley House		Knutsford	Historic house	An 18th-century house with a wonderful collection of fine art and furniture.
Tatton Hall		Knutsford	Historic house	Part of Tatton Park, this early 19th-century house has collections of pictures, books, china, and furniture. It is managed by the National Trust.
The Museum of Policing in Cheshire		Warrington	Law enforcement	Learn about Cheshire's police forces. See uniforms, old records, and even a Doctor Who police box!
Warrington Museum & Art Gallery		Warrington	Multiple	Explore natural history, local history, archaeology, fine art, and decorative arts.
Weaver Hall Museum		Northwich	Multiple	Discover the history of salt making, local history, and archaeology.

Former Museums and Galleries

Some museums and galleries in Cheshire have closed over time:

• Axis Arts Centre, Crewe (used to be Alsager Arts Centre), which had an art gallery, closed in spring 2019.
• Chester Toy and Doll Museum, Chester.
• Mouldsworth Motor Museum, Mouldsworth, closed in 2013.
• On The Air: Broadcasting Museum, Chester, closed in 2000.