Greater Manchester Police Museum & Archives
57a Newton Street
Northern Quarter, Manchester
Greater Manchester
M1 1ET
England
Website
Telephone
0161 856 3287
0161 856 4500
Explore Manchester’s hidden past - a labyrinth of alleyways and slums, interrupted only by the huge mills casting shadows below. An eerie underworld, lit by gas lamps where police officers were kept busy apprehending unsavoury characters of all ages.
The Greater Manchester Police Museum and Archives enables you to experience what life was really like for these officers in a busy Victorian police station.
You’ll also see how times have changed and how policing has evolved to meet today’s needs.
Located in the historic Northern Quarter of Manchester, the Police Museum was one of the city’s earliest police stations and has been lovingly restored to reflect the reality of policing in the late 1800s/ 1900s.
See where Manchester’s criminals were charged and fingerprinted. Discover the cells that were often packed with 12 men on a busy night. Why not have a seat on the cell beds with their wooden pillows.
Admire the polished wood panels and stained glass of the genuine 1895 Magistrates Court and experience how inmates would have felt standing in the dock.
The Museum has modern galleries displaying historic uniform and equipment and vehicles from the 1950s onwards. The Crime Room invites you into the world of forgery and forensic science while our new audio-visual gallery allows you to immerse yourself in history with footage from our on-site archives.
NEW FOR 2013:
If you have an i-phone, download our new museum app!
'One of the city's best kept secrets is this superb museum' Lonely Planet-Great Britain 2009
Review the museum on Trip Advisor
Venue Type:
Museum, Archive, Heritage site
Additional info
Disabled access: The museum has access ramps, lift and a unisex toilet for visitors with disabilities. Please note: the lift cannot be used in the event of an emergency, so in such cases evacuation must be via stairs. We would advise that visitors with disabilities contact the museum in advance to confirm we can meet their requirements and to ask about on site parking.
Facilities: Due to the age of the building, there is restricted access for pushchairs and prams. There is an on-site shop and toilets. Parking and refreshments are not available on site however staff will be happy to advise on nearby carparks and eateries.
The collection dates from c.late 19th century onwards and ranges from vehicles, costume and memorbilia to restored cells, a charge office (1879) and magistrates court (1895 from Denton)
Collection details
Weapons and War, Social History, Photography, Personalities, Land Transport, Costume and Textiles, Coins and Medals, Archives
Alien Registers Resource Pack
http://www.gmp.police.uk/museum
This pack is for schools and community groups and will help students understand more about the registers and why they continue to be a valuble resource:
ESOL (including post 16)
Key stages 1 and 2 citizenship unit 5
Key stage 3 citizenship unit 4
Key stage 4 citizenship unit 3
Creator
- Learning & Outreach Assistant 2010
Publisher
- GMP Design & Print
How to obtain
Please contact the Museum Officer by email
police.museum@gmp.police.uk.
This pack is £4
GCSE Suffragette Resource Pack
http://www.gmp.police.uk/museum
The pack provides students with primary source material and an interactive game that can be used in conjuction with studying 'the changing roles of women as society altered at the beginning of the 20th century.'
Creator
- Museum staff
Publisher
- GMP Design & Print
How to obtain
Please contact the Museum Officer by email police.museum@gmp.police.uk
This pack is £4
International Students Pack
This pack enhances a visit to the Museum and consists of:
Preparation work to be done beforehand
Observational Qs to be completed during the visit
Follow-up work after the visit
Creator
- Daniel Bosman at Salford College, adapted and updated by Museum staff 2012
Publisher
- GMP Museum
How to obtain
Please contact the Museum Officer by phone or email regarding a visit for international students to the Museum.
This pack is currently FREE
Loan Boxes
Introduced in 2012 - our loan boxes enable schools and community groups to hire boxes on specific topics. Each box includes handling items, suggested activities and activity templates. Currently available:
People Who Help Us (KS1 +)
Go Green! (KS3 +)
Policing during WWII (KS2 +)
Coming in Spring 2013:
Victorian/ Edwardian Policing (KS2 +)
Crime Awareness (KS3 +)
Creator
- GMP Museum Learning Team 2011/2012
Publisher
- Museum Officer
How to obtain
Contact the Museum Officer for more details and to book a loan box. Each loan box costs £7.50 to hire for the maximum of a week.
Scout and Guide Badges - how we can help
The museum collection can provide inspiration and support for many badges and qualifications within the Scout Association and Girlguiding UK.
Creator
- Museum Officer
Publisher
- GMP Museum
How to obtain
Downloadable from the museum website or by contacting the museum directly
- About
- | Collections
- | Resources
- | Map
