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Manchester: The Museum City

Manchester: The Museum City
The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, UK. MOSI is a public museum with 830,000 annual visitors, Photo Credit: Shutterstock
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Apart from London, Manchester has some of the best museums the UK has to offer. The city was a hub of the industrial revolution, and is also one of the hotspots of the labour and women's rights movement in the UK. The many excellent museums showcase this multi-facetted history. Here are a few we love.


March 11 , 2020
10 Min Read

Science And Industry Museum

 
 
 
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Doesn't Rocket look magnificent? The iconic shape influenced every locomotive that came after, but had the Rainhill Trials gone differently we could have all been in trains powered by a horse on a treadmill - sounds like as bad an idea as Cycloped turned out to be... There's only a few weeks left to admire Rocket before it leaves us to head to our sister museum, the Railway Museum in York, so make sure you don't miss out! #rocket #scienceandindustrymuseum #stephensonsrocket #locomotive @railwaymuseum #engineeringhistory #locomotivehistory #locomotivelove #trainhistory #railwayhistory #railways #trainstagram

A post shared by Science and Industry Museum (@scienceandindustrymuseum) on Aug 26, 2019 at 2:00am PDT

Everyone knows that this industrial city in northern England was the textile hub once. Not many know that it is also known for pioneering work in science and research. The computer, for instance, was invented here: the first stored-programme computer (a giant contraption nicknamed 'Baby'). Scientists at the University of Manchester are involved in research at CERN. The Manchester Museum of Science & Industry showcases all this. Housed in the enormous grounds of the old Liverpool Road Station buildings, the city's legacy is out on display. You can test an early electric-shock machine ot try out a printing press. Or check out the history of powered flight from triplanes and fighter jets to space age tech in the air & space hall, including an astronaut virtual-reality experience called Space Descent VR. You can also design your own jet engine. Get up close with the city's textile industry with cotton spinning and weaving machinery demos at the textiles gallery. A café on the ground floor serves hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, breakfast bites, hot pastries, cakes and snacks.

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Museum of Transport

The collection here charts the story of public road transport from 1824, and is spread over 100 years. The location is in itself quite interesting, inside one of Greater Manchester’s earliest bus garages in a Grade II listed building adjoining Manchester’s first electric tram depot. The exhibits here include a 1890s horse bus, as well as a full-size prototype Metrolink tram. Many of their restored buses are maintained in roadworthy condition and can be driven on public roads. Watch out for their special events some of which let you travel on these historic vehicles.

Manchester Museum

 
 
 
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Ever wondered what Stan the T-Rex would look like in real life?! Well thanks to the fantastic team @skyboxapp you can now watch our prehistoric T-Rex come back from extinction. . Next time you visit @mcrmuseum keep an eye out for the #skybox stickers dotted around the galleries and experience the museum like never before. Simply download the skybox app, scan the sticker and watch the exhibits come to life using AR technology. Please note the app requires AR technology and may not work on some older smart phones. . . #mcrmuseum #AR #artechnology #skybox

A post shared by Manchester Museum (@mcrmuseum) on Apr 16, 2019 at 7:38am PDT

Interested in archaeology, anthropology and natural history? Head out to see the eclectic collection at this museum housed in a high Victorian red-brick university building. From Ancient World galleries that tell the stories of Egypt, Greece and Rome to a vivarium with live reptiles and amphibians. It has about 4.5 million items from every continent and is the UK's largest university museum. The museum is one of the University of Manchester's 'cultural assets', along with the Whitworth Art Gallery, John Rylands Library, Jodrell Bank visitor centre and others.


People's History Museum

 
 
 
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Excited to have our friends from @etsymcr back once again! Give them a follow to find out more about all the wonderful makers and creators selling their wonderful wares at PHM Fri 29 Nov to Sun 1 Dec ðŸÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂŽ¨ðŸÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂŽ„🛍ðŸÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂށ . Posted @withrepost • @etsymcr It's the 1st of November! That means we can finally say that Etsy Made Local: Manchester 2019... IS HAPPENING THIS MONTH! ðŸÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂމ (Well, a little bit of December too!). As you can tell, we're all very excited, this year's traders are all busy preparing, designing and making their wonderful handmade wares ready for the event. Starting tomorrow, we'll be releasing our trader line-up one by one, so you can make a note of your favourites and plan your visit this year! Let the countdown commence... Photo from Etsy Made Local: 2018 - by @thepublishedimage #etsymadelocal #etsymadelocaluk #etsy #etsyseller #etsyuk #etsymcr #etsysellersofinstagram #peopleshistorymuseum

A post shared by People's History Museum (@phmmcr) on Nov 4, 2019 at 5:37am PST

It is fitting that the city of Manchester, with its roots in workers' rights and suffragette movement should house a collection that celebrates this. This is where Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels discussed that ‘working class’ had become a permanent rather than a transitional stage for workers. Manchester is where Emmeline Pankhurst was born and shaped the suffragette movement. The museum celebrates its 10th birthday as the home of ideas worth fighting for in 2020. And its collections  have never been as relevant or resonant as they are today. It is a very special and unique place which showcases more than two hundred years of the shaping of British democracy. It is located inside a grade II listed restored Pump House building, on the left bank of the river Irwell which marks the border between Manchester and Salford. 

The collection has a lot of information and materials on display, including an extensive political banner collection. The conservation studio includes a viewing gallery where you can see the process of restoring items. The space showcases extensive histories and ongoing struggles, including LGBTQ+ community activism. Their remarkable events celebrate milestones such as the bicentenary of the Peterloo massacre, a democratic march that resulted in terrible violence against the marchers.

They also have a gift shop and café.

After you are done here, you must also visit The Pankhurst Centre which is housed in the former home of Emmeline Pankhurst and is the founding site of the Women’s Social and Political Union.

 



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