Take a look and learn about all the amazing heritage venues and museums across Greater Manchester & beyond!
The oldest free library in the UK and an accredited museum.
About
Chetham’s Library was founded in 1653 and is the oldest public library in the English-speaking world. It is an independent charity and the entire collection at Chetham’s Library has been designated as one of national and international importance, an accolade of which we are extremely proud.
How can people get involved?
With numbers limited to protect our delicate ancient buildings all visitor access is organised via our weekday pre-booked guided tours, due to the Library sharing the site with Chetham’s School of Music.
Online resources
The aim of Clayton Hall Living History Museum (registered charity 1155379) is to preserve and protect Clayton Hall in East Manchester together with its moated surrounds as a heritage centre for the public benefit.
The aim of Clayton Hall Living History Museum (registered charity 1155379) is to preserve and protect Clayton Hall in East Manchester together with its moated surrounds as a heritage centre for the public benefit.
We offer regular free public open days throughout the year which include hands-on activities and dressing-up in the Victorian and Tudor Rooms, and history talks about the Hall and its owners including the famous philanthropist, Humphrey Chetham. Our Memories Room has a large local history collection and we host various temporary exhibitions of local interest.
Our tea room is situated in the Tudor section of the Hall and serves refreshments and light lunches on public open days and afternoons teas by prior booking on specific dates through the year.
Private group or school visits can be booked via our website and refreshments or a light lunch can be arranged in advance.
Our popular seasonal activities include Summer, Halloween and Christmas family events.
The Museum of Transport tells the story of public road transport in Greater Manchester from the first buses in 1824 to the present day, with a collection of around 70 vehicles, mainly buses, and objects such as uniforms, badges, signs, ticket machines, etc.
The War and Conflict Subject Specialist Network is a partnership programme led by Imperial War Museums, to build capacity, connections and confidence in the cultural heritage sector. Their aim is to share knowledge and skills amongst the many organisations and groups across the UK and further afield, who cover the period from the First World War to the present day.
The War and Conflict Subject Specialist Network is a partnership programme led by Imperial War Museums, to build capacity, connections and confidence in the cultural heritage sector. Our aim is to share knowledge and skills amongst the many organisations and groups across the UK and further afield, who cover the period from the First World War to the present day.
The SSN is open to those who work for or with not-for-profit organisations. We welcome members from the museums and galleries sector, community organisations, national and local government, heritage institutions, performing arts groups, and from the education sector.
Introductory film about the SSN: https://youtu.be/MNCT2uFZ218
Register of Expertise – a searchable directory of SSN Members: https://www.iwm.org.uk/partnerships/subject-specialist-network/members
After signing up, members receive free access to all our other digital resources.
Sign up free of charge to become a Member, to access the following:
– Free to download resources, including historical timelines and digital assets such as photographs and film
– Helpful guides to support your work, such as tips for collections management
– Invitations to virtual networking events, where you can meet and share ideas
– Opportunities to take part in webinars, to promote collaboration and professional development
Based in one of the finest neo-Gothic buildings in Europe and in the heart of Manchester, the John Rylands Research Institute and Library promotes research in the humanities and sciences using the astonishingly rich special collections of The University of Manchester Library.
Based in one of the finest neo-Gothic buildings in Europe and in the heart of Manchester, the John Rylands Research Institute and Library promotes research in the humanities and sciences using the astonishingly rich special collections of The University of Manchester Library.
Special Collections
Our special collections are world-leading in their significance and diversity, offering limitless research potential across a broad spectrum of disciplines. They include several hundred languages and span five thousand years, from Cuneiform tablets to email archives, from Gutenberg to Ginsberg, and contain some of the most significant printed books and manuscripts ever produced. We also hold unique archive collections, maps and visual material, documenting a wealth of traditions from around the world. You can access out special collections both in person and online.
Our research
We are a dynamic community of exceptional scholars and curators, imaging and conservation specialists, and research impact and engagement professionals who support world-leading research based on our outstanding special collections and promote innovative public engagement with research through exhibitions, events and workshops.
Get in touch with us!
Manchester Museum is the UK’s leading university Museum with extraordinary natural history and humanities collections and typically welcoming over 500,0000 visitors annually.
Manchester Museum is the UK’s leading university Museum with extraordinary natural history and humanities collections and typically welcoming over 500,0000 visitors annually. Dedicated to twin goals of building understanding between cultures and a more sustainable world, our vision is to become the world’s most inclusive, imaginative and caring museum and relevant to the diverse communities we serve.
hello future is Manchester Museum’s exciting £13.5 million transformation and will create a new Exhibition Hall, South Asia Gallery, Chinese Culture Gallery, the world’s first Centre for Age Friendly Culture, and a new entrance with visitor facilities that focus on inclusive accessible design.
The Museum of Medicine and Health at The University of Manchester contains one of the most extensive collection of medical and bioscience objects in the North West.
The Portico Library is a 214-year-old independent subscription library and exhibitions space in central Manchester.
The Portico Library is a 214-year-old independent subscription library and exhibitions space in central Manchester. Still housed in its original purpose-built Regency-period venue, it opens free to the public six days a week for exhibitions and events complementing its unique collection of books, archives and illustrations that spans over 450 years. All visitors can enjoy a meal or drink in the cafe and participate in the Library’s writing, research, arts and conservation programmes.
Early members and associates included Thesaurus inventor Peter Mark Roget, Prime Minister Robert Peel, author Elizabeth Gaskell, Guardian newspaper founder John Edward Taylor and Anti-Corn Law League leader Richard Cobden, plus physician and anti-slavery campaigner John Ferriar, leading suffragette family the Pankhursts and James Heywood MP, who proposed and successfully fought for the introduction of public libraries in the UK.
Today, as well as a centre for learning and literature in the city, the Library is also home to The Portico Prize and the Portico Sadie Massey Awards for young readers and writers.
The Working Class Movement Library is a treasure trove with records of over 200 years of organising and campaigning by ordinary men and women. It is free for everyone to use.
Visit Directory here
