Mordern, Free, Best Art Museums in Lymm

"One of five Imperial War Museums in the UK, Manchester’s addition to the repertoire is located in Media City. The striking aluminium-clad building houses a timeline of Britain’s conflicts since the First World War, drawing on different elements of war such as the involvement of women and the impact of science and technology on how wars are fought. Alongside the permanent exhibits are plenty of films and photographs showcasing what life was like during these conflicts.Imperial War Museum | © the yes man / Flickr"

"Housed in an iconic aluminium-clad building designed by Daniel Libeskind, the IWM North houses several fascinating exhibitions which tell the story of how a century of wars have affected people’s lives in Britain. The main exhibition space shows a timeline of the wars that Britain has been involved with since the First World War. The Big Picture Show uses the latest HD projection technology to tell people’s stories of war in a vivid and captivating way."

"Extended due to lockdown, this extraordinary exhibition features 200 photographs of Liverpool, the north and international conflict, captured over the last 60 years of Don McCullin's career. Liverpool Biennial exhibition. Featuring new commissions and existing works by Ines Doujak and John Barker, Linder, Jutta Koether and Ebony G Patterson, alongside works from Tate’s collection including Judy Chicago, Nicholas Hlobo, Martine Syms, Anu Põder and Ithell Colquhoun."

"If you’re looking to get your art fix, you can’t beat the Tate. Housed in the Albert Dock, Tate Liverpool has been home to modern and contemporary art for over 30 years. Since opening, the Tate has held over 150 exhibitions and displays from a huge range of artists."

"Take a walk right down to the end of Oxford Road and you’ll find The Whitworth. An impressive and ornate red-brick structure, this popular Manchester art gallery certainly looks the part from the outside – and once inside visitors will find over 60,000 internationally important artworks to explore. Everything from weaving to sculpture is included within its recently refurbished walls – and best of all, much of it is free to explore."

"From 19 May – 1 July, The Whitworth is open for film screenings of its new exhibition, Imran Perretta: the destructors. The Whitworth Café, Art Garden and Collections Care Centre are also open from 19 May to 1 July. The rest of the gallery remains closed while the next exhibitions are installed, following COVID-19 safety guidelines."

"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."

"The museums in Salford give the very essence of its citizens and rich culture. If you are looking for something deeper and more meaningful, head to the museums in city. Explore the cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical side of Salford with these museums."

"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."

"In this fascinating museum, you will find a range of collections displaying the weird and the wonderful from nightmares in a bottle, Victorian dental surgeries, and a fine art collection. This variety of exhibits is bound to inspire everyone and teach you something about almost everything!. The Victoria Gallery and Museum aim to give visitors a unique insight into the curiosities from the 127 years of the University of Liverpool."

"Artworks illustrating the ever-present tensions between the natural world and the human race, including The Eruption of the Soufriere Mountains in the Island of St Vincent by JW Turner. A New Beauty: Romanticism in Art 1880-1920. Display exploring the evolving ways that physical attractiveness was depicted from the late 1800s."

"Arts space and cafe LEAF was included in Guardian Travel's first "budget eats" guide to Liverpool, in 2008, and is still going strong, albeit at a new address. In the meantime, owner Natalie Haywood has branched out at the media arts centre, FACT, and at Oh Me Oh My, a weekday cafe in a grand, Grade II-listed property opposite Liverpool's totemic Liver Building. LEAF and FACT are natural allies – way beyond their preference for upper case logos – and last year cemented their union when LEAF opened the Garden cafeteria at the centre."

"Liverpool's much-loved independent cinema and arts centre holds the title of the UK's leading organisation for the support and display of film, art and new media. FACT hosts a wide range of activities, screening and events for the whole family, including a Kids' Club film, accompanied by games and activities for young movie fans, on Saturdays. The weekly Big Scream Club is exclusively for parents and babies under one year old."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"Unusually colourful (its orange banquettes and Perspex back-bar give it a look of a 1980s Top of the Pops set), this Dale Street tap-house serves a mix of quality guest beers (Wild Beer, Mikeller, Burning Sky), and Beatnikz’ hop-forward brews, such as I Smash Citra and Generation IPA. The weekday cask ale deals are notable (recently pie ‘n’ a pint £5, Mon/Tues), as is Beatnikz’s ability to bag high-profile guests for its meet-the-brewer events. For instance Arbor Ales and US star Modern Times. Pint from £3.70, beatnikzrepublic.com"

"Beatnikz microbrewery is located in a railway arch in the Green Quarter, and their taproom used to be too. But they closed it last year and moved to a shiny new bar in the Northern Quarter where they’ve just introduced a beer slushie machine. Head in to enjoy their core range of beers."