People's History Museum
Left Bank
Spinningfields
Manchester
Greater Manchester
M3 3ER
England
Website
People's History Museum
People's History Museum
Telephone
People's History Museum
0161 838 9190
Fax
People's History Museum
0161 838 9190
There have always been ideas worth fighting for. Join a march through time at the People's History Museum following Britain’s struggle for democracy over two centuries. Meet the revolutionaries, reformers, workers, voters and citizens who fought our battle for the ballot. Gather amongst their magnificent banners and discover how time off was won (and spent).
Enjoy our bigger and better galleries, with even more interactives and activities for visitors of all ages. Browse our shop for unique books and gifts and round off your day with a bite to eat in our new cafe, complete with the sunniest riverside terrace in Manchester!
Venue Type:
Museum, Archive, Gallery
The entire collection of this museum is a Designated Collection of national importance.
The collections of the People's History Museum contain items relating to the working people of Britain, and cover ceramics, prints, posters, banners, ephemera and photographs.
The museum (registered as the National Museum of Labour History) is the national centre for the collection, conservation, interpretation and study of material relating to the history of working people in Britain.
Collection details
Trade and Commerce, Social History, Photography, Personalities, Performing Arts, Music, Industry, Fine Art, Design, Decorative and Applied Art, Costume and Textiles, Coins and Medals, Archives
Key artists and exhibits
- Watch the first Match of the Day, visit a 1930s Co-op shop, play your favourite vinyl on the jukebox, create your own badge and much more......
- The new People's History Museum has more interactives throughout the galleries, both high tech and low tech so there's something for visitors of all ages.
- Almost 1500 historic objects are on display including many items that will are on display for the first time. Some objects have been specially conserved so that they can be shown to visitors in the new galleries.
- The redevelopment of the museum has also enabled more of our collection of trade union and political banners to be shown. A new double height gallery space now shows off these beautiful, striking banners at their best.
100 Deeds
On 4 June 1913, 100 years ago, Emily Wilding Davison stepped in front of the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby, whilst promoting women’s right to vote. Some considered her to be an extremist, others a hero.
On the 100 year anniversary of Emily’s deed at Epsom, we are interested in what gender equality means now. In response to the Women’s Social Political Union slogan ‘Deeds Not Words’, we are inviting 100 members of the public to do and share a deed. Come see these deeds on display in the museum foyer.
Get involved by visiting 100deeds.co.uk or use the hashtag #100Deeds
A project by Sarah Evans and Jenny Gaskell. Funded by Equity Foundation, with thanks People’s History Museum, Wonder Women: Radical Manchester and The Future.
Suitable for
- Any age
Website
NOISEfestival.com presents ‘Art of Protest’
A stunning showcase of the best protest artworks submitted to NOISEfestival.com
Visit this exciting exhibition of the best submissions by emerging artists to the NOISE ‘Art of Protest’ project.
Launched in response to the Manchester Riots in August 2011, the AOP project promotes high-impact, peaceful protests from Banksy, Joseph Beuys & Thomas Peiter, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Gillian Wearing, Stella Vine, Billy Bragg, Ed Hall and Katherine Hamnett.
Don’ t miss NOISEstock on Sat 18 May, an interactive ‘sit-in’ evening with performances from protest music and comedy artists – part of Museums at Night 2013.
There will be more exciting events to accompany the exhibition, check back soon for further details.
The Community Gallery space is where local groups can display their own work. We try to make these displays relevant to the story told in the museum where possible. If you are interested in exhibiting, contact exhibitions@phm.org.uk
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free.
Website
NOISEfestival.com presents The Art of Protest
Visit this exciting exhibition of the best submissions by emerging artists to the NOISE ‘Art of Protest’ project.
Launched in response to the Manchester Riots in August 2011, the AOP project promotes high-impact, peaceful protests, taking inspiration from protests artists including Banksy, Joseph Beuys & Thomas Peiter, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Gillian Wearing, Stella Vine, Billy Bragg, Ed Hall and Katherine Hamnett.
Please note some artworks contain strong language or imagery that may not be appropriate for younger children.
Suitable for
- Any age
Where
People's History Museum
Admission
Free. Donations to the museum gratefully received.
Website
http://www.phm.org.uk/whatson/noisefestival-com-presents-the-art-of-protest/
Manchester Motoring Memories
Manchester Motoring Memories looks back to how the people of Manchester took to ‘mass motoring’ in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Through interviews of first-time motorists and salesmen in Manchester in the 1960s, this exhibition looks at how our streets changed, what we did with our cars, and how they changed our lives.
If you have no idea what ‘running in please pass’ means, or didn’t know you could park outside Manchester Town Hall, come along and find out. Or maybe you do remember your first rustbucket? Look back on a time when brakes and headlights were useless. Maybe you bought your first car or motorbike second-hand on ‘terms’, probably from a man in a mohair suit. Perhaps your car had been ‘clocked’? Despite no heaters having been fitted, motoring presented opportunities for courting, while the ‘woman driver’ continued to challenge those who saw motoring as a ‘man’s activity’.
Manchester Motoring Memories is open to all ages. With an opportunity for older visitors to jot down their memories or contribute to the oral histories of those ‘pioneer’ mass motorists, it allows younger visitors to see first hand some old brochures, driving licences, magazines, and photographs of what seems a long-gone Manchester.
Suitable for
- Any age
Website
Hazards! Revisited
In the past ordinary people had little protection against work-related hazards such as industrial disease, accidents and poor working conditions. Around 200 years ago men, women and children risked their health working in the new factories, trades, canals and railways of the Industrial Revolution. Governments and employers showed little concern for industrial health. Some Friendly Societies provided accident funds but most accepted hazards were an inevitable part of working life.
In the 1830s campaigners began to demand limits on child labour and better protection for all workers. Over the next 170 years governments gradually limited hours, provided industrial inspectors, introduced compensation and banned child labour. New research improved the prevention and treatment of industrial disease. Today workers still suffer the legacy of earlier industrial diseases, such as asbestos-related cancers, and are at risk from new hazards. Occupational illnesses common in Britain in the past are now found among workers in developing countries.
This redisplay of a past exhibition coincides with the 24th International Congress for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the Universtiy of Manchester.
Suitable for
- Any age
Website
Hidden by Red Saunders
An Impressions Gallery touring exhibition, Hidden recreates great moments in the long struggle for rights and representation in Britain. It is particularly fitting that these photographic tableaux be on show at the People’s History Museum – the national museum of democracy in Britain and the home of ‘ideas worth fighting for’.
With the past often dominated by Kings, Queens and military battles, the aim of the Hidden project was to recreate the historic scenes involving the dissenters, revolutionaries, radicals and non-conformists who have often been hidden from history.
Each scene is carefully planned and lit, using costumed models in the style of tableaux vivants (living pictures). Together they suggest photographic ‘evidence’ for events that occurred before the widespread adoption of camera technology.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free
Website
Radical Manchester tour
Come along on a tour of our main galleries and discover how Manchester’s radical past sent shockwaves through history. Stick around afterwards to see unique material in the Labour History Archive & Study Centre and go behind the scenes in our archive tour. Part of Adult Learners’ Week.
1.15pm - 2.00pm, archive tour 2.00pm - 2.30pm
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
1:15-2pm
Where
People's History Museum
Admission
Free. Donations to the museum gratefully received.
Treat yourself to 15% off in The Left Bank cafe bar when you attend an event at the People’ s History Museum.
Booking advised, please contact 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
Props & Costumes craft table
Has our Hidden exhibition inspired you to dress up for your own photographic masterpieces? Create your own paper props and costumes to take home with you. Why not tweet us a photo of your finished scene @PHMMcr?
Suitable for
- Any age
Where
People's History Museum
Admission
Free. Donations to the museum gratefully received.
Website
Hidden faces
Be inspired by the many faces in our fab Hidden exhibition and create your own powerful portrait with artist Sarah Marsh.
Suitable for
- Any age
When
1:30-3:30pm
Where
People's History Museum
Admission
Free. Donations to the museum gratefully received.
Treat yourself to 15% off in The Left Bank cafe bar when you attend an event at the People’ s History Museum.
Booking advised, please contact 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
Emily Wilding Davison and Provincial Militant Protest
Most people are familiar with the story of the end of Emily Wilding Davison's life. Her tragic death under the hooves of the King's horse at the Derby a century ago and her impressive funeral procession have become some of the most iconic images of the suffragette campaign.
What is less well known, perhaps, is the work that Emily did for the suffragette movement in the years before her death. This talk looks at Emily Wilding Davison's part in these provincial protests, including her work in Manchester, and outlines their value to the wider suffrage campaign.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
2-3pm
Admission
Booking required. To book please contact the People’s History Museum on 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
http://www.phm.org.uk/whatson/emily-wilding-davison-and-provincial-militant-protest/
From Mary Wollstonecraft to Margaret Thatcher – Women’s History tour
Come along for a guided tour of the main galleries of the People’s History Museum and discover how women shaped our history. Including the ‘first feminist’ Mary Wollstonecraft, the suffragettes, the peace campaigners at Greenham Common and, love her or hate her, Britain’s first female Prime Minister. To commemorate the centenary of the death of Emily Wilding Davison. Why not stick around for our Emily Wilding Davison and Provincial Militant Protest talk afterwards.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
1:15-2pm
Admission
Booking advised. To book please contact the People’s History Museum on 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
100Deeds - Meet the Artists
100 Deeds is a project which encourages members of the public to do an action which represents or promotes gender equality in the modern day, then promotes the people’s action. It is a direct response to the 100 year anniversary of Emily Wilding Davison’s fatal protest and is an opportunity for everyday people to recognise themselves as the makers of modern history. Come along and meet the artists to find out more about the project and to view all the deeds collected to date. Get involved by visiting 100deeds.co.uk or use the Twitter hashtag #100Deeds
Suitable for
- Any age
When
2-3pm
Admission
No booking required.
Website
Emily Wilding Davison: the one who threw herself under the horse
A new play from Cambridge Devised Theatre about the suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, which has been specially devised and written to coincide with the centenary commemorations of her death at the Derby in June 1913. The play is set in the context of the struggle for women to have the vote in the first quarter of the 20th century. The play will also address questions relevant to our own time about the nature of protest, risk, personal sacrifice, women’s education, fanaticism, torture and the role of the state.
Suitable for
- 14-15
- 16-17
- 18+
When
3-4:30pm
Admission
£7 / £5 concessions. Booking required. To book please contact the People’s History Museum on 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
http://www.phm.org.uk/whatson/emily-wilding-davison-the-one-who-threw-herself-under-the-horse/
Art, Politics and the Pamphleteer
This one day event will explore the history and relevance of the pamphlet for contemporary art practice through presentations by speakers and performers. This event will coincide with a small display of selected pamphlets from the PHM collection (curated by the RaRa organisers) together with a selection from our ‘call for pamphlets’.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
10:30am-4pm
Admission
£10 / concessions free. Booking required, please go to www.lboro.ac.uk and search 'RaRa'
Website
http://www.phm.org.uk/whatson/emily-wilding-davison-the-one-who-threw-herself-under-the-horse/
Textile Conservation Studio tour
A tour of the Textile Conservation Studio with one of the museum’s Textile Conservators.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
2:30-3:15pm
Admission
Booking required. To book please contact the People’s History Museum on 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
http://www.phm.org.uk/whatson/textile-conservation-studio-tour-6/
Your Paintings tour
Join museum Registrar Phil Dunn on a tour of our main galleries, focusing on the banners and paintings in our collection featured on the Your Paintings website. Your Paintings is a joint initiative between the BBC, the Public Catalogue Foundation (a registered charity) and participating collections and museums from across the UK. Your Paintings is a website which aims to show the entire UK national collection of oil paintings, the stories behind the paintings, and where to see them for real. It is made up of paintings from thousands of museums and other public institutions around the country. Stick around afterwards for our tour of the Textile Conservation Studio to find out how the oil paintings on our collection of banners are conserved.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
1:15-2pm
Website
Diamond Dads craft table
Show your dad how brilliant he is by making him a special present inspired by our collections at our craft table.
Suitable for
- Any age
When
10am-5pm
Website
Remembering Michael Foot
Remembering Michael Foot on the centenary of his birth. Michael was leader of the Labour Party from 1980 to 1983, in opposition to Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government. He had been an MP since 1945, and also a newspaper editor and author. This public event will remember Michael Foot, with testimony from friends, family, journalists and colleagues.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
10:30am-3pm
Admission
£10 / £5 concessions. Booking required. To book please contact the People’s History Museum on 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
Snapshot on Refugees
Did you know the museum holds an archive of over 80,000 photographs? Go behind the scenes and delve into our unique photo collections, the Labour Party photograph collection and the Communist Party of Great Britain photograph collection. In this lunchtime drop in session, browse through photographs on the theme of refugees and uncover history through the lens. To celebrate Refugee Week.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
12:30-1:30pm
Admission
Booking advised. To book please contact the People’s History Museum on 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
Under the Rainbow
Meet Matilda, a little girl who is given a magic rainbow bag. Help Matilda solve clues to get to the end of the rainbow and find what she’s looking for. Fun interactive story session with puppets, song, dance and a craft activity.
Suitable for
- 5-6
- 0-4
When
11am-12pm
Admission
£1 per child, adults free. Booking advised. To book please contact the People’s History Museum on 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
Delve & Discover - Refugee Week
Come along to the Labour History Archive & Study Centre to find out more about the experience of refugees in Britain over the last 100 years. As part of our Refugee Week celebrations we will be holding a drop in session for you to browse through material relating to refugees from World War I to the Spanish Civil War and Chilean Solidarity Campaigns.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
1:30-3:30pm
Admission
Booking advised. To book please contact the People’s History Museum on 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
Hidden changing exhibition tour and artist talk
Come and be inspired by Red Saunders on this artist led tour of our brilliant changing exhibition Hidden. Find out more about how Red creates his stunning photographic tableaux and the stories behind them.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
1:15-2:30pm
Admission
Booking required. To book please contact the People’s History Museum on 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
http://www.phm.org.uk/whatson/hidden-changing-exhibition-tour-and-artist-talk/
The Little PHM story session, Beeing Special
Meet Little Bee, the bee who wants to be different. Join in the busy bee dance, search for flowers in the museum and follow Little Bee’s adventure to find out how he becomes the hero of Victorian Manchester. Fun interactive story session with puppets, song, dance and a craft activity.
Suitable for
- Especially for children
- Family friendly
Where
Mini Theatre, People's History Museum
Admission
£1 per child, adults free
Treat yourself to 15% off in The Left Bank cafe bar when you attend an event at the People’ s History Museum.
Booking advised, please contact 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
http://www.phm.org.uk/whatson/the-little-people%e2%80%99s-history-museum-%e2%80%93-beeing-special-2/
Know Your Place
A game where status is everything. Know your place, and move accordingly. Social climbing is unacceptable. Come along to watch or join in with The Larks’ latest interactive performance piece, Know Your Place, which pitches you – the audience – at the centre of a rigid and ridiculous social system over which you must triumph.
Suitable for
- 14-15
- 16-17
- 18+
When
2-3pm
Admission
Booking advised. To book please contact the People’s History Museum on 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
Working Class Women, Fashion, Glamour and Shopping in Manchester, 1910s-1939
How did women in Manchester use home dressmaking to access fashionable clothes? How did developments in the British textile industry affect workers and workers’ communities? This afternoon event will launch a series of events related to the Tailored Trades: Clothes, Labour and Professional Communities (1880-1939) research network, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
1-4pm
Admission
Booking required. Please book at http://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/research/networks/tailoredtrades/
Website
http://www.phm.org.uk/whatson/ahrc-tailored-trades-network-launch/
Snapshot on Michael Foot
Did you know the museum holds an archive of over 80,000 photographs? Go behind the scenes and delve into our unique photo collections, the Labour Party photograph collection and the Communist Party of Great Britain photograph collection. In this lunchtime drop in session, browse through photographs on the theme of Michael Foot and uncover history through the lens. To celebrate the centenary of former Labour Party leader Michael Foot.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
When
12:30-1:30pm
Admission
Booking advised. To book please contact the People’s History Museum on 0161 838 9190 or info@phm.org.uk
Website
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