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
📅 PHM dates | September
Make the most of September with a visit to People’s History Museum, with exhibitions, family activities, special events and more to discover.
Dates for the diary:
🚩 September | On The Line: 100 Years of Strikes & Solidarity
Explore 100 years of strikes, solidarity and collective action in PHM’s major exhibition marking the centenary of the 1926 General Strike.
🤖 September | BUILD-A-BOT
Get creative with this FREE family activity and build your own cardboard robot inspired by Deceptioncon. Perfect for children aged 5-12 and their grown-ups.
🗳️ Tuesday 15 September | International Day of Democracy
Discover the people, movements and ideas that have shaped democracy and the ongoing fight for rights and representation.
🔎 Saturday 19 September | Heritage Open Days: Findmypast Live x PHM
Explore your own family history with @findmypast & @heritageopendays, meet genealogy experts and access historical records and newspaper archives.
FREE | 10.00am-5.00pm
🏳️🌈 Friday 25 September | @sherpa_k.official : Assemble @iapmcr with Pride
Experience PHM after hours with a live performance inspired by Re/Assemble and stories of LGBTQIA+ protest and activism.
7.30pm-9.30pm | Tickets from £12
🧵 Saturday 26 September | The Fabric of Protest
Join an artist-led workshop exploring the 1926 General Strike and create your own textile response inspired by On The Line.
1.00pm-3.00pm | Booking required
🤖 Wednesday 30 September | BUILD-A-BOT ends
Last chance to take part in PHM’s FREE family activity before it finishes.
Find out more and plan your September visit via the link in bio.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #WhatsOnManchester #ManchesterMuseums #OnTheLine #HeritageOpenDays
🎷 Have you ever been to a gig in a museum?
On Friday 25 September, our historic Engine Hall will come alive with saxophone, flute, piano, double bass and more as @sherpa_k.official takes over for @iapmcr Assemble with Pride.
Join us for a night at the museum with a difference, with an evening of live music from a band on a mission to “confuse, charm and promote universal joy!”
Part of PHM’s Re/Assemble programme, bringing music, creativity and LGBTQIA+ stories together.
🎶 Friday 25 September | 7.30pm–9.30pm | Tickets from £12
Head to website for more details
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #SherpaK #AssembleWithPride #ManchesterMusic #ManchesterEvents
✊🏼 Behind every banner is an idea worth fighting for
For generations, banners have carried the messages of people and movements demanding change, from workers’ rights and solidarity to equality, representation and LGBTQIA+ rights.
Across People’s History Museum, these banners capture the campaigns, communities and moments that have shaped democracy in Britain.
Each has its own story. Together, they show what can happen when people stand together and make their voices heard.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #IdeasWorthFightingFor #Democracy #Protest #ManchesterHistory
🏳️🌈 Last chance to shop our Pride collection
As August and Manchester Pride month come to an end, there’s still time to pick up our some bits and our `Pits and Perverts` t-shirt from the PHM shop.
The design takes its name from the legendary Pits and Perverts benefit gig, organised by Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) in 1984 to raise funds for striking miners and their families, a powerful moment of solidarity between the LGBTQIA+ community and the miners’ movement.
✊ Shop the collection at PHM and wear an idea worth fighting for
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #ManchesterPride #PitsAndPerverts #IdeasWorthFightingFor #LGBTQIAHistory
✊ Experience `On The Line` exhibition in a different way with a Guided Tour
Go deeper into 100 years of strikes and solidarity with the final two guided tours of On The Line, led by curator Mark Wilson.
👁️ 3 September | Audio Described Tour
Explore key objects through detailed visual descriptions, uncovering the stories of the people and movements behind the General Strike, miners’ disputes, equal pay and Grunwick.
🎨 1 October | The Art of the Strike
From banners and posters to paintings and radical print, discover how art and design have been used to communicate, organise and make the messages of strike action visible.
🔗 Find out more and book via our What’s On page.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #OnTheLine #IdeasWorthFightingFor #ManchesterMuseums #StrikesAndSolidarity
🤖 The last week of summer is here, so why not make the most of free family activities at PHM!
Inspired by the story of Amazon workers standing up for their rights, BUILD-A-BOT invites young visitors to design, build and decorate their own protest robot.
Swipe through the carousel to see some of the brilliant robots other young visitors have already made, from colourful creations to robots ready to stand up for what they believe in. What will yours look like?
📍 People’s History Museum, Left Bank Manchester
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #BuildABot #ManchesterWithKids #FamilyDaysOut #FreeThingsToDo Manchester
🕊️ Today marks 45 years since the march to Greenham Common.
In 1981, women marched from Cardiff to RAF Greenham Common to protest against US nuclear missiles, beginning what became the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp.
The Wokingham Peace Group banner uses powerful symbolism to share its message, cleverly turning the word PEACE into the image of a dove.
We have a dedicated team of conservators who help preserve important pieces of protest history such as PHM Senior Conservator Kloe Rumsey assessing its condition and helping to ensure that this important piece of protest history can be preserved for future generations.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #GreenhamCommon #PeaceMovement #IdeasWorthFightingFor
🎧 PHM is on the podcast
People’s History Museum’s Head of Collections & Engagement Jenny Mabbott joins @afamilyhistoryof podcast to explore Peterloo, the objects that help tell its story and what the events of 16 August 1819 can teach us about democratic change today.
This amazing podcast has already been named one of The @guardian best podcasts of the week- reaching no3 in @apple History charts 👏👏
It comes ahead of when @findmypast joins us at PHM Live for a special FREE @heritageopendays event on Saturday 19 September.
Listen to the podcast now to find out why the fight for democracy still matters today, and save the date for September.
Visit website for more details 📲
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #Findmypast #Peterloo #ManchesterHistory IdeasWorthFightingFor
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