List of museums in Greater Manchester facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Greater Manchester is a super cool place in England, full of exciting museums! These places are like treasure chests, collecting and looking after amazing objects. They show us things about art, science, history, and different cultures. You can find everything from ancient Egyptian mummies to giant steam engines.

This guide will help you discover some of the best museums in Greater Manchester. Get ready to explore and learn something new!

Art and History Museums
- Art Galleries and Creative Spaces
- Exploring Local and Social History
Science and Technology Wonders
Step Back in Time: Historic Houses
Sports and Special Interest Museums
Museums That Are No Longer Open
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Art and History Museums

Greater Manchester has many places where you can see beautiful art and learn about the past.

Art Galleries and Creative Spaces

Astley Cheetham Art Gallery in Stalybridge has paintings from the 1400s and British art from the 1800s and 1900s. It's located right above the Stalybridge Library.
Bury Art Museum in Bury shows off Victorian paintings, modern art, photos, and crafts. You can also learn about local history and culture here.
Castlefield Gallery in Manchester is a special place run by artists. It features modern visual art.
Central Art Gallery in Ashton-under-Lyne displays paintings, sculptures, and textiles. There's also a gallery dedicated to local artist Harry Rutherford.
Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art in Manchester focuses on modern art by Chinese artists from all over the world.
Gallery Oldham in Oldham mixes art with social and natural history. They have touring exhibits, new art, and international pieces.
HOME in Manchester is a big international center for modern visual arts and films.
The Lowry in Salford Quays is an arts center with galleries for modern art, photography, and design. It also has many works by the famous artist LS Lowry.
Manchester Art Gallery in Manchester has a huge collection. You can see English, Dutch, French, and Italian paintings, plus modern art, textiles, and even old toys.
Salford Museum and Art Gallery in Salford teaches you about local history and Victorian art. They even have a replica Victorian street with shops!
Stockport Art Gallery in Stockport is another great spot to see various art pieces.
Touchstones Rochdale in Rochdale combines art with local history and culture.
Whitworth Art Gallery in Moss Side, part of the University of Manchester, has modern art, watercolors, sculptures, and textiles.

Exploring Local and Social History

British Muslim Heritage Centre in Manchester is in a beautiful old building. It shows how British Muslims helped in World War II and celebrates contributions to civilization by Muslims.
Bury Transport Museum in Bury is in an old railway warehouse. It shows how transport developed in the North West, with old railway cars, buses, and even steam rollers.
Clayton Hall Living History Museum in Manchester is an old hall once owned by famous families. It sits on a mound with a dry moat and a stone bridge.
Elizabeth Gaskell's House in Manchester was the home of the famous author Elizabeth Gaskell in the mid-1800s. You can learn about her life and other writers.
Fusilier Museum in Bury tells the story of the Lancashire Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers with their history and cool items.
Gallery of Costume in Fallowfield, Manchester, shows clothing and accessories from the 1600s to today. It's in Platt Fields Park.
Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum in Rochdale has full-size fire engines, equipment, uniforms, and photos from firefighting history.
Greater Manchester Police Museum in Manchester lets you explore a Victorian police station, cells, and a court. You can see old police equipment, uniforms, and vehicles.
Horwich Heritage Centre in Horwich shares the local history, culture, industry, and transportation of the area.
Imperial War Museum North in Trafford Park focuses on conflicts from the 1900s and 2000s that involved British and Commonwealth citizens.
John Rylands Library in Manchester has amazing exhibits of art, history, and literature from its collections.
Manchester Jewish Museum in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, is in a beautiful old synagogue. It tells the story and culture of Manchester's Jewish community.
Manchester Museum in Manchester, run by the University of Manchester, has natural history (like dinosaurs!), ancient Egypt, money, archaeology, and even a vivarium with live animals.
Museum of the Manchester Regiment in Ashton-under-Lyne shares the history and artifacts of the Manchester Regiment.
Museum of Wigan Life in Wigan explores local history, culture, archaeology, and industry.
Pankhurst Centre in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, was the home of Emmeline Pankhurst, a leader of the suffragette movement. You can learn about the fight for women's voting rights here.
Park Bridge Heritage Centre in Park Bridge covers local history, the ironworks, and natural history.
People's History Museum in Spinningfields, Manchester, tells the story of working people in the United Kingdom and how they fought for their rights.
Portland Basin Museum in Ashton-under-Lyne shows local history, industries, and trades. It even has a 1920s street with shops!
Rochdale Pioneers Museum in Rochdale is an old store that tells the story of the very first cooperative movement.
Saddleworth Museum in Saddleworth covers local history, trades, the textile industry, canals, railroads, and local art.
Stockport Museum in Stockport explores local history, archaeology, industry, transportation, and culture.
Stockport Air Raid Shelters in Stockport let you explore almost a mile of underground shelters used during World War II.

Science and Technology Wonders

Discover how things work and how technology has changed our lives.

Astley Green Colliery Museum in Astley is a former coal mine. You can see the headgear, engine house, and a collection of old mining locomotives.
Bolton Steam Museum in Bolton has amazing preserved steam engines.
Ellenroad Engine House in Newhey has a huge, working 3000-horsepower cotton mill engine with its original steam plant.
Hat Works in Stockport is all about the history of making hats and different types of headgear.
Heaton Park Tramway in Manchester, located in Heaton Park, has restored old trams that you can see.
Mossley Industrial Heritage Centre in Mossley focuses on the local cotton industry and is housed in an old cotton-spinning mill.
Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester is a fantastic place to learn about science, technology, industry, transportation, and Manchester's big contributions to these fields.
Museum of Transport in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, tells the story of buses and public transportation.
Trencherfield Mill Steam Engine in Wigan has a massive 2,500 horsepower working steam engine from a textile mill. You can usually see it on Sundays.

Step Back in Time: Historic Houses

Explore grand old homes and imagine life in different centuries.

Bramall Hall in Bramhall is a beautiful timber-framed Tudor manor house with lovely parklands.
Dunham Massey Hall in Dunham Massey is a Georgian house run by the National Trust. It has a deer park and gardens.
Haigh Hall in Wigan is a country house from the mid-1800s that you can tour.
Hall i' th' Wood in Bolton is an early 1500s timber-framed manor house. It's open on special days.
Heaton Hall in Manchester is an 18th-century country house located in Heaton Park.
Ordsall Hall in Ordsall, Salford, is a stately home from the 1400s. It has beautiful stained glass and local history exhibits.
Smithills Hall in Bolton is a family home that dates back to the 1300s, showing styles from medieval, Tudor, and Victorian times.
Staircase House in Stockport is a 15th-century medieval house with rooms decorated from different centuries.
Wythenshawe Hall in Northenden, Manchester, is a 16th-century Tudor house that shows four centuries of history.

Sports and Special Interest Museums

Bolton Museum in Bolton is a multi-topic museum with local history, natural history, archaeology, art, an aquarium, and ancient Egypt exhibits.
Manchester United Museum in Old Trafford celebrates the history of Manchester United F.C. with cool items, located at the Old Trafford stadium.
National Football Museum in Manchester, located in the Urbis building, tells the history of association football with lots of memorabilia.

Museums That Are No Longer Open

Sometimes museums close or change. Here are a few that used to be open in Greater Manchester:

Cube Gallery, Manchester, closed in 2013.
Setantii Museum, Ashton-under-Lyne, closed in 2012.
Urbis, a former exhibition space, is now home to the National Football Museum.
Vernon Park Museum, Offerton, closed in 2012.
Manchester Art Museum, also known as the Horsfall Museum or Ancoats Museum, closed in 1953. Its collections became part of the Manchester City Art Gallery.
The Cornerhouse was a center for cinema and visual arts. It joined with the Library Theatre Company to become HOME in a new building.