Get a friendly welcome at People's History Museum in Manchester, the national museum of democracy. Explore the museum and be empowered by the past to make a change for the future.
Follow the link below to plan your visit, and find out what to expect when you get to PHM.
Plan your visit
For group visits of over six people, follow the link below to fill in an enquiry form.
Booking is required to guarantee entry.
Group visits are not taken during our dedicated quiet time between 2.00pm and 5.00pm on Fridays.
Book your group visit
The museum is located on the corner of Left Bank and Bridge Street, opposite the Civil Justice Centre, alongside the River Irwell, in the Spinningfields area of Manchester city centre, postcode M3 3ER.
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Follow the link below for information on how to get to PHM.
Getting to PHM
The museum is Family Friendly throughout, from facilities to family favourites including hands-on interactives and activities connecting you and your family with PHM’s unique collections and stories.
Bring your buggies, refillable water bottles and expect a warm welcome, simple signage, accessible toilets, and plenty of picnic places.
The museum has a Quiet Room you can use during your visit and sensory tools can be borrowed from access stations throughout the museum.
Plan your family visit
We are committed to supporting all visitors during their time at PHM. We understand that everyone’s access needs are different.
Please talk to us if you have queries or require any assistance in advance of your visit on 0161 838 9190 or access@phm.org.uk.
For accessibility information check out our Detailed Access Guide on the AccessAble website.
Access at PHM
Explore PHM’s galleries, exhibitions, and hands-on and digital interactives engaging adults and children alike.
Use PHM’s visitor map to familiarise yourself with the museum building ahead of your visit.
Find out what's on
Take a break for brunch, lunch, or an afternoon pick me up in PHM’s café Gather
A picnic area is available for visitors bringing their own food and drink to the museum.
View menu
A unique gift shop in Manchester inspired by the museum’s collection, full of books, cards, homeware, souvenirs and great presents for kids and grown ups.
Shop the collection
Join other visitors and make a donation today, helping to ensure the museum remains free for all.
Support PHM
✊🏼 Ever wondered about the powerful artworks used in protests?
Find out more on `The Art of the Strike` guided tour on Thursday 1 October, the last in our series of guided tours exploring On The Line: 100 years of strikes & solidarity exhibition.
Led by the exhibition’s lead curator and PHM Exhibitions Officer Mark Wilson, discover the artists, poster collectives and radical printshops behind the vibrant visual culture of strike action, and the creative propaganda they produced.
You can also delve deeper into the story in our latest blog, where Mark explores how visual culture has always been at the heart of the labour movement, from brightly painted flags and banners to posters, t-shirts and art.
Read the blog and book your place on the guided tour via the link in bio, before On The Line: 100 years of strikes & solidarity exhibition closes Monday 2 November.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #OnTheLine #IdeasWorthFightingFor #ManchesterMuseums
🤖 Looking for something fun to do with the kids this weekend?
Bring your mini protesters to PHM for one last chance to BUILD-A-BOT!
Get creative, bring your very own protest bot to life and decide what it stands for, before taking your creation home with you.
Make a day of it, explore the museum together and see what your mini protesters come up with.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #BuildABot #ThingsToDoManchester #FamilyDaysOut #IdeasWorthFightingFor
Yesterday, we welcomed @findmypast to the museum for a special @heritageopendays event, where visitors could delve into their own family history using Findmypast’s genealogy database.
From uncovering the stories of suffragettes and the working people behind movements for change, to exploring the lives, jobs and communities of our own ancestors, the day was a reminder that history isn`t only made by the names we already know. It`s made up of millions of ordinary lives and the stories they leave behind.
A huge thank you to Findmypast, our speakers and everyone who joined us to uncover, share and celebrate these stories 🩷
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #Findmypast #HeritageOpenDays #FamilyHistory #PeoplesHistory
🔎 The countdown is on … just 3 days to go!
This Saturday, we’re joining forces with @findmypast for a FREE day of talks and discovery as part of @heritageopendays.
Enjoy FREE access to Findmypast throughout the day, delve into historical records, objects and archives, and uncover the stories of everyday people.
Here’s what’s happening on the day👇🏻
🕥 10.30am & 2.00pm
Find your past: How local history brings family stories to life. With Findmypast genealogist @jenbaldwin_genealogy
🕦 11.30am & 3.00pm
The Peterloo Massacre: Remembering everyday local heroes. With Jen Baldwin and PHM’s @jenmabbott and Eleanor Whitehead.
🕧 12.30pm & 4.00pm
Votes for Women: Discovering the Manchester suffragette banner. With @helenantrobushistory, Jen Baldwin and Jenny Mabbott.
Save the Date
📅 Sat 19 Sept between 10am-5pm
📍 People’s History Museum, Left Bank, Manchester
Save the date and join us this Saturday. Who knows what you might discover?
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #Findmypast #FamilyHistory #ManchesterHistory ThingsToDoManchester
✊🏼 Some ideas really are worth fighting for
On #InternationalDayOfDemocracy, we’re celebrating the ordinary people who fought to have their voices heard, organising, marching, protesting and pushing for change.
From Peterloo and the fight for women’s suffrage to workers’ rights, LGBTQIA+ rights and equality, the democracy we know today was shaped by people who refused to accept that things couldn’t change.
Democracy is about having a voice, being heard and having the power to shape what comes next.
Come and discover the people, movements and ideas that helped shape our democracy at People’s History Museum.
We’re back open tomorrow and every Wednesday to Monday. Plan your visit and discover the ideas worth fighting for ✊🏼
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #IdeasWorthFightingFor #PeoplePower #Democracy
🔎 How much do you really know about your family’s past?
At PHM, our collections and archives connect individual lives with defining moments in Britain’s democratic history, revealing the people and stories behind them.
Historian David @Olusoga and PHM Researcher Dr Dan Edmonds delve into the museum’s archive, where every record has a story to tell.
On Saturday 19 September, we’re joining forces with @Findmypast for a one of a kind @HeritageOpenDays, giving you the chance to explore your own family history, search historical records, newspapers, and meet genealogy experts.
Every family has a story to tell, what will you discover about yours? Join us on 19 September and find out.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #Findmypast #HeritageOpenDays #FamilyHistory #IdeasWorthFightingFor
👀 Some objects make you stop and look twice
The Women Against Pit Closures t-shirt is one of the objects bringing the stories of protest, community and solidarity to life in On The Line: 100 years of strikes & solidarity.
During the 1984 to 1985 Miners’ Strike, Women Against Pit Closures became a powerful force, organising within mining communities, supporting striking families and taking their campaign onto the streets.
It’s one of many objects in `On The Line` that takes you beyond the picket lines to discover the people, communities and movements behind 100 years of strikes and solidarity.
⏳ There’s not long left to experience the exhibition as it closes on Monday 2 November 2026. Visit today for FREE at Peoples History Museum.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #OnTheLine #WomenAgainstPitClosures #MinersStrike #IdeasWorthFightingFor
👋 Hello! New to PHM?
Welcome to the UK`s national museum of democracy.
Based in Manchester, People’s History Museum tells the story of the people, ideas and movements that have shaped democracy in Britain.
From the fight for the right to vote and workers’ rights to protest, equality and campaigns for change, our collections bring together 200 years of ideas worth fighting for and the people who made their voices heard.
Come in, explore and discover these stories for yourself. Visit our current exhibition On The Line: 100 years of strikes & solidarity, marking the centenary of the 1926 General Strike, before exploring our permanent galleries, from revolutions and Peterloo to the campaigns, movements and people continuing to shape democracy today.
🎟️ We’re free to visit and open weekly from 10am to 5pm, excluding Tuesdays.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #IdeasWorthFightingFor #Democracy #ManchesterMuseums #VisitManchester
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