Free Museums in Irwell Vale

"Manchester Art Gallery is the original useful museum, started in 1823 by artists, as an educational institution to make sure that the city and all its people grow with creativity, imagination, productivity, and health. It is free and open to all people as a place of civic thinking and public imagination, it promotes art as a means to achieve social change. It has been at the centre of city life for almost 200 years, created as the Royal Manchester Institution for the Promotion of Literature, Science and the Arts."

"Whilst it may not boast the beautiful parkland of its Whitworth partner, this Mosley Street gem nonetheless has plenty to offer: not least a world-class art collection, and everything from highlights tours to mindful drawing. Visiting with children?. Make sure to visit the onsite café, which has a pay-as-you-feel kids’ menu in partnership with Real Junk Food Manchester."

"The world-leading National Football Museum will open up again on Thursday May 27, with new exhibitions to explore. Visitors will be able to see the English Football Hall of Fame, showcasing some of those who’ve made an outstanding contribution to football, both on and off the pitch. There's also a new photographic exhibition opening on June 11, 2021, coinciding with the rescheduled Euros, looking at the popular culture surrounding the Euro 96 tournament."

"About: The National Football Museum is home to over 140,000 pieces of footballing memorabilia - including the FIFA Collection. The museum explores the beautiful game through world class exhibitions and displays, looking at football from every angle, telling the stories that matter the most. Address: Urbis Building, Manchester, M4 3BG"

"From people’s history to the people’s game - Manchester is also home to one of the world’s top museums of football - and amazingly, it’s free to get in!. Discovery Zone, National Football Museum. You approach the museum along the Football Walk of Fame which celebrates the greats of the game."

"With an eclectic collection that includes historic fine art and contemporary art works, a fine collection of textiles from across the world, sculpture, prints, wallpaper and more, there’s lots to enjoy at the Whitworth Art Gallery. Cornelia Parkers Exhibition, Whitworth Art Gallery. A highlight of the fine art collection is work by famous pre-Raphaelite artists including Holman Hunt, Rossetti, Millais and others."

"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."

"Address: The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER. Phone number: 0161 275 7450. Part of the University of Manchester, this collection of over 60,000 pieces ranges from historic fine art to contemporary art, prints and sculptures."

"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."

"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."

"Stood high on Castle Hill dominating Clitheroe’s skyline for over 800 years, Clitheroe Castle Museum is now open after a complete makeover and offers a day of exploration for all the family. Explore the hands-on galleries, collections and displays which reveal amazing stories and take you on a journey through 350 million years of history."

"This attraction features well-maintained locomotives that date back more than 100 years. A preserved railway, it is now also the home of the collection from the Southport Railway Museum and was opened to public access in 2005. It also operates passenger services from Preston Riverside to and from Strand Road Crossing."

"It may not look like much from the outside, but inside two Victorian villas on Nelson Street you’ll find The Pankhurst Centre – a heritage site of women’s activism. Once the home of local Manchester political campaigner and icon Emmeline Pankhurst, who lived at 62 Nelson Street from 1898 to 1907, it’s here that the very first meeting of the suffragette movement took place. Cut to the present day and visitors can now drop by to explore the story of women securing the right to vote."

"An unassuming little house on Nelson Street, this spot was the birthplace of the Suffragette movement. The home of inspirational leader Emmeline Pankhurst, the first Women’s Social and Political Union meeting was held here in 1903. Nowadays, the place has been converted into a museum detailing the battle for women’s equality in Britain and celebrating its great former occupant."

"An important chapter in our shared history, the Pankhurst Centre is the only museum in the country to highlight the struggle for the women’s vote. Housed in the ancestral home of the Pankhurst Family, the museum has a number of exhibits showcasing the fight for the right to vote and holds a number of fascinating workshops throughout the year."

"Opposite the Lowry on the south side of the Manchester Ship Canal in Trafford Park is one of five branches for the Imperial War Museum, opened in 2002. This remarkable building, with three interlocking metallic shards (invoking air, earth and water), was designed by Daniel Libeskind and intended to induce a feeling of disorientation apt for war. The entrance is in the 55-metre-high “air shard”, while the permanent exhibition is on the first floor in the “earth shard”."

"The Imperial War Museum North is another Salford attraction that’s most definitely worth a visit. It’s within walking distance of The Lowry so you could easily combine the two for a day out in Greater Manchester. The focus of the museum is modern conflicts and the building itself was designed to purposefully confuse and unsettle visitors through illogical angles and leaning floors."

"The Clayton Hall Living History Museum dates back to the 15th century and you will therefore not see the global moated medieval buildings. The Museum is in the Grade II category. Volunteers have restored it back to its original look and it is now open to the public twice a month."

"Dress up as a Victorian, visit several rooms, have lunch in the café, or take part in a guided tour. A really fun way to learn about Victorian and Mancunian history. Highly recommended for children, book, music and history lovers."

"This is another opening that will be the talk of the town when it reopens, as the Manchester Jewish Museum unveils its £6m transformation to the public for the first time. You'll have to be patient though - the Chetham Hill venue won't open until July 2, when it kicks things off with a MIF co-commissioned installation. General admission tickets will be available soon at manchesterjewishmuseum.com."

"Contact Theatre will be heading out across Manchester this summer for a series of outdoor performances. Contact is an Oxford Road theatre and performing arts venue creating and producing its own shows, as well as hosting tours from the world’s best theatre companies. Contact will be heading out across the city this summer, delivering a series of outdoor performances before its building reopens to the public in September 2021."

"Another one that you'll have to exercise patience for is the RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music), which is - understandably - prioritising the return of students and tutors. You can see the latest updates at www.rncm.ac.uk."

"The Royal Northern College of Music is an internationally acclaimed conservatoire, as well as an eclectic performance venue delivering a diverse programme of music and opera performances."

"serves fine British cuisine with generous portions and a relaxing atmosphere. The charming restaurant’s menu is updated frequently to provide the freshest, most seasonal food available. Enjoy a Guinea fowl breast, served with baby leeks and shiitake mushrooms, or a Scottish salmon fillet, served with lemon and thyme confit potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and purple stem broccoli."