Mordern, Free, Best Art Museums in Leigh

"Imperial War Museum North (IWM North), Imperial War Museum North, The Quays, Trafford Wharf Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M17 1TZ - Visit now. Discover how war shapes lives in this award-winning Daniel Libeskind building representing a globe changed by conflict. See objects which have changed the course of history such as the Field Gun which fired the first shell of the First World War and a large section of twisted and rusted steelwork from the collapsed World Trade Center."

"IWM North, Trafford Wharf Rd, Trafford Park, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M17 1TZ. Things to do at IWM North review. The IWM North, short for Imperial War Museum, is a large museum overlooking the water in Stretford, Greater Manchester."

"1 km from city center 6 out of 10 places to visit in Liverpool. Named after a Liverpool industrialist Henry Tate, the Tate gallery is the subsidiary of famous Tate gallery in London. Like its London counterpart, this one also has an amazing collection of classical and contemporary art."

"Needing no introduction, Tate Liverpool is one of the country’s leading galleries of contemporary art. Situated in a former docking warehouse on Albert Dock, Tate’s calendar includes a regularly revolving, versatile run of exhibitions, with a lot of them offering free entry."

"The Whitworth relaunched in 2015 after a massive refurbishment and only went on to win an award for Museum of the Year by the Art Fund in its first year. They have a constantly changing display of collections and a wide spectrum of art in their temporary exhibitions. The Whitworth is located in South Manchester, I would recommend taking public transport as it’s quite a walk otherwise."

"From Wednesday May 19, the stunning Whitworth gallery will be partially reopen to the public, with a film screening of Imran Perretta: the destructors on display. The cafe will be back open too, but the full gallery will be up and running again by July 1, in time for its MIF21 summer exhibition. Plan your visit at whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/visit."

"The Whitworth will partially reopen from Wednesday 19 May 2021. The gallery is expected to reopen fully from Thursday 1 July 2021."

"Surrounded by the University of Salford, this sizeable museum is on the south side of Peel Park, mapping the history of Salford and with a large inventory of Victorian art. The museum dates to 1850, and would be worth a visit just to appreciate its Italianate Renaissance-style galleries. These have been arranged to reflect the layout of a Victorian museum, with paintings, decorative art and sculpture all competing for your attention in the same space."

"Travel a bit outside Manchester's city center to the Salford Museum and Art Gallery, which is situated int heart of Peel Park. First opened in 1850, the museum features both permanent displays and changing contemporary exhibitions, with free admission for all visitors. One of the museum's highlights is Lark Hill Place, a recreated Victorian street that lets visitors experience what life was like in Victorian Salford."

"A glorious sister venue to London's Natural History Museum (both designed by Liverpool-born architect Alfred Waterhouse), it's worth a visit to the University of Liverpool's gallery and museum for its exterior alone. The Grade II-listed building's gothic terracotta design led to the coining of the term "red-brick" university and is a shining example of Victorian prowess; more so now after a recent £8.6m refurb. Expect a really creepy museum (fossils, taxidermy, skeletons and curios from the university's 130-year history), a special collections gallery (including the largest display of paintings and prints by wildlife artist John James Audubon outside the US), and a regularly revolving programme of contemporary art exhibitions."

"Housed within an impressive, Grade II listed building, VG&M is known for its collection of the work of wildlife artist, John James Audubon. Once you've checked out the art gallery, the museum has some curiosities worth taking a look at too: the National Pipe Archive and a display of dentures through the ages – not your average collection of artefacts. Opening times: Tuesday-Saturday 10:00-5:00 Victoria Building, 150 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L3 5RF 5 minute walk from LJMU Mount Pleasant Campus and 20 minute walk from LJMU City Campus."

"The Victoria Gallery & Museum is run by the University of Liverpool. The building itself is a beautiful, classic red brick Liverpool building and boasts many stunning weddings. The exhibitions range from the weird (false teeth) to the wonderful, and it is definitely worth a visit."

"Key to the redevelopment of the Ropewalks quarter of Liverpool, and catering for the needs of film and art lovers since 2003, FACT was founded on a remit to "use the power of creative technology to inspire and enrich lives". Tucked behind the bohemian Bold St, this futuristic-looking space – made up of three floors of galleries, cinema screens, a cafe and a bar – celebrated a decade since its launch, in which time it has played host to pioneering work from Pipilotti Rist, Nam June Paik, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Kurt Hentschläger. 88 Wood Street, fact.co.uk."

"Just turning 15 years old, this cinema and gallery is, in fact, a leader in visual arts. It strives to support local visual and media-based artists who are passionate about technology. The location offers space for video and new (sometimes experimental) media, creating a platform for many UK artists to explore."

"FACT on Wood Street is hoping to open again from May 19 with three brand new exhibitions including Biennial artists. Soft Boys, in the foyer gallery, is a short film about queer and trans joy, specifically within the Somali culture and community. It’s free, no booking needed."

"Contemporary Six – The Gallery is a leading independent art gallery located in the heart of the city centre of Manchester opposite the beautiful Town Hall. Established in 2010 by Alex Reuben, the gallery is known for offering a warm and friendly welcome to art enthusiasts, collectors, and new visitors and explorers to the city. Specialising in original paintings, landscapes, portraits, abstracts handmade prints, sculptures, and ceramics."

"From Darrell Evanes’ scrap metal sculpture to Matthew Bourne’s natural abstracts, Contemporary Six’s repertoire is all encompassing. Having outgrown its former location of Royal Exchange Arcade, the gallery - founded by Alex Reuben in 2010 - now occupies an airy space on Princess Street, where it represents around 40 artists. Best feature: Contemporary Six offers the Own Art Scheme, which allows buyers to pay in monthly instalments"

"The municipal museum was founded in 1848 and moved into its purpose-built Neoclassical home in 1857. This is one of the UK’s oldest town museums and the building has kept its original character. As with the best municipal museums, the collection is a big jumble of local industrial artefacts, Egyptology, Roman archaeology, coins, ethnographic displays, items from the Civil War and zoological and botanical specimens."

"1857 museum with 200,000 artifacts displayed in original Victorian glass cabinets, plus fine art. Address : Bold St, Warrington WA1 1DR, United Kingdom"

"CFCCA is the UK leader in Chinese visual culture, with a reputation for debut solo exhibitions and a roster of internationally-renowned artists; impressive considering that, three decades ago, it was just a series of events in Manchester’s Chinatown. As Manchester’s Chinese population is second only to London’s, the centre’s heritage is particularly important; now represented in a new archive and library. Best feature: A vibrant events schedule, spanning film screenings to workshops and even Mandarin lessons"

"Centre For Chinese Contemporary Art is a unique art gallery with a year-round programme of socially engaged exhibitions, events, and artist residencies. They have over 30 years experience of working with emerging and established artists to provide a space for conversation, debate, and cross-cultural exchange. They are the go-to place to discover new artists and explore relevant global issues from different international perspectives."

"CFCCA reopens with a duo of exhibitions investigating and unpicking themes of belonging, identity and citizenship in a globalised and hyper-connected society. Housed in CFCCA’s Northern Quarter galleries, the exhibitions are just a few minutes’ walk from the Arndale Shopping Centre. Multiplicities in Flux brings together works by contemporary artists Grace Lau and Eelyn Lee in a dialogue around identity and belonging."

"Situated on Seel Street – one of the best streets in the city for bars and venues – Hot Water Comedy Club is Liverpool’s only purpose-built comedy venue and comes highly recommended. With comedy shows seven nights a week, this is up there with the best for catching the next big thing in the comedian world. Promoters at Hot Water are also regularly bringing the best comedians to shows in The Wirral, Manchester and at Edinburgh Fringe Festival."

"A post shared by Hot Water Comedy Club (@hwccliverpool) on Jan 1, 2017 at 6:57am PST. As Liverpool’s only purpose built comedy venue, Hot Water Comedy Club is the place where you’ll find live a good laugh 7 nights a week; come rain, some shine. It’s an independent comedy club in the Ropewalks areas of the city, run by two brothers, which originally began as a weekly comedy night to round off the weekend on a high, and it grew from there."

"Manchester’s legendary stand-up comedy club remains an ever-popular destination, and has hosted pretty much every big name in comedy over the past 19 years. TripAdvisor reviewers had high praise for the venue’s staff, drinks and hot food offering. Typical reviews include: “Food was good, staff friendly and comedy funny."

"The one you think of when someone says comedy in Manchester. Located on Deansgate Locks, this perfectly placed club offers some of the best stand up in town. Their auditorium set up makes it perfect for stand up."

"This 121-acre park was opened in 1868 and part of a set of Victorian public parks in Liverpool including Sefton Park and Stanley Park (mentioned above!). If you have a permit, you could even try a spot of fishing in the lake, how cool is that!. There’s a sports hub area for skateboarders, BMX, and scooter riders, as well as a playground if you want to relive your childhood."

"Prestwich Forest Park consists of four smaller parks which make up 200 acres of woodlands: Philips Park, Drinkwater Park, Waterdale, and Prestwich. These parks can be heavily wooded (particularly Drinkwater), so it’s a beautiful place to spend a day away from the noise of town. Exploring the woods can be an enlightening experience, so long as you take care while wandering amongst the broad-leaved trees."