People's History Museum

Housed in a former pumping station, the museum consists of two rather gloomy halls containing largely banners and posters connected to, for example, human rights and labour movements and issues. I visited mainly to find out more about the Peterloo massacre of 1819 that happened in the city but, remarkably, there were just a couple of brief panels and no authenticated artefects. The highlights - and I use the term loosely - are a Spitting Image puppet of John Prescott and Michael Foot's donkey jacket. Says it all; I was through in 30 mins.

By the way, the car park on Bridge Street, is literally just over the road but costs £6 for two hours. It took me 15 mins to acquire a ticket too because of misleading instructions and faulty machinery. Grrrr! Not the best start to my visit!

This watered down and depoliticized look at the Labour movement lacks nuance and depth and tries to make up for them by overwhelming visitors with way too much visual clutter everywhere. It doesn’t go into any detail when it comes to describing the different schools of thought or the internal development of the movement (Marx and Engels were only mentioned once or twice and then completely ignored). No analysis of the present and future of the labour movement was given. Neoliberalism and it’s effects were cut out. The choice of products in the book shop also shows lack of appreciation for the classics. While some interesting books on Race and LGBT+ issues were offered, Marx and Bakunin (or any actually radical contemporary authors) were nowhere to be found. I hope the £10 I donated will go towards making this Museum a more bold and radical place.

I cannot stress how good this was. As someone who can take or leave museums this one hit the mark very well!

It had a great mix of history (pre 1945) and modern (post 1945) and both carry their own merits. Some may enjoy one more than others like me.

I found the post 45 section more interesting, particularly how everything since WW2 has played into British politics. How different conflicts and ideologies have played out and how all of them have had a different affect.

Very interesting, particularly growing up and hearing about the welfare state, Thatcher, miners strikes etc. But also things like apartheid and communism!

If I was going to recommend a museum for people to visit in Manchester it’d be this one.

This is review of the Peterloo exhibition - the rest of the museum deserves a 4* review as it is free and there is plenty to see (if a little PC!) I decided not to rush for my train but to call in to see this exhibition. Apart from a reasonably good but fairly superficial video there was virtually nothing to see, one of the worst 'exhibitions' I have ever encountred. As it happens my train was 30 mins late so I had not wasted my time but I was really very disappointed that nothing better could have been done to commemorate this major event.

Brilliant discovery today. Well laid out, absolutely stuffed full of exhibits and memorabilia. Great selection of displays - both permanent and temporary. I particularly enjoyed the exhibits around 19th and 20th century politics, and the fight for equality. I’ve not seen so many banners in any museum or exhibition and the detail from the conservators on each one really was a nice touch. Thoroughly recommend the museum - and if you’re lucky enough to speak with Callum he’s a mine of information, very polite and a great advocate for the museum.

This is a great place if you love a bit of history. It offers great insights into the history of trade unionism and workers' rights. There was so much to see and hear and it was presented in a fun and interactive way, so that it really works for visitors young and old.
Entry is free, but you can leave a donation - we did as we really enjoyed spending an hour or so here. There is a small gift shop and a cafe too that overlooks the canal.

I was pleasantly surprised, never having been here before I was worried what the children would make of it. I’m not sure that they learnt any history but there were lots of interactive activities that kept us busy for a couple of hours. We could’ve stayed for longer but everyone was tired :)
The placard making workshop which we were booked into was well run by staff, who were friendly and enthusiastic with the children.
The museum is in a lovely space.
The only reason this isn’t 5 stars is the cafe - the website was advertising children’s meals for a couple of pounds, so I promised the kids we’d eat while we were there. When we sat down to eat though the options on the kids menu were quite limited and they all wanted adult meals which were quite a bit more expensive (more like £8 or £9). It was £2 for just a basic carton of juice. It felt quite expensive when the cheap children’s menu is how they are encouraging people to visit for the summer.
An interesting museum - I’d like to go back without the children so I can actually absorb some of the history :)

So touched! 😭😭 So touched! ! !
At the People's History museum in Manchester City, before I was about to leave, I dropped my credit card😭. Just as I was anxiously looking for, locking the card, and preparing to report the loss and replace it, Ms. Serpil from the museum asked me if I had lost a bank card, and then miraculously found it back! ! ! !
It’s really taught me a lesson😭, thanks Ms. Serpil. I do recommend to come to this People’s History Museum when you come to Manchester City in the future. Great praise! !

太感动了！😭😭太感动了！！！
在曼城的People‘s History museum，准备走之前，我把信用卡掉了😭。正当我 焦急的寻找、锁卡，准备挂失补办的时候，博物馆的Serpil女士问我是不是丢了一张银行卡，然后就奇迹般的找回来了！！！！
是真的是teach me a lesson😭，感谢Serpil 女士，以后来曼城一定要来这个People’s History Museum博物馆。大大的好评！！

Thought provoking exhibitions in a wonderful atmosphere. Lovely cafe, people and coffee. We plan to come back to visit again to finish the second gallery, as our curiosity left us trying to take absolutely everything in.

We have lived less than a 20 minute walk from the museum for over 2 years and never thought to check it out — needless to say we weren’t disappointed. We left feeling humbled and inspired by Northern England’s industrial past, our own ancestry and the wonderful city we call home.

People’s History Museum is a collection of carefully crafted pieces, capturing the essence of what it means to be British. Indeed, this is reflected beyond the artefacts in the architecture of the space, staff and visitors — who, too, seemed just as captivated as we were.

I would encourage all visitors to donate and support what I believe to be one of Manchester’s true cultural gems!

Went here specifically to learn more about the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 as it recently achieved its bicentenary. To be honest I was a bit disappointed as I expected something special on Manchester. I have been to better museums but I am pleased that it is still free to enter(yes, I did make a donation)