List of museums in Greater Manchester

This list of museums in Greater Manchester, England contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit art galleries and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.

To use the sortable table, click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Name Image Town/city Region Type Summary
Astley Cheetham Art Gallery Stalybridge Tameside Art website, collections include 15th-century Italian paintings, British art of the 19th and 20th centuries, situated in Stalybridge town centre, above Stalybridge Library
Astley Green Colliery Museum Astley Wigan Mining Former coal mine with headgear, engine house, and collection of colliery locomotives
Bolton Museum Bolton Bolton Multiple Local history, natural history, archaeology, art, aquarium, ancient Egypt
Bolton Steam Museum Bolton Bolton Technology Preserved steam engines
Bramall Hall Bramhall Stockport Historic house Timber-framed Tudor manor house, parklands
British Muslim Heritage Centre Manchester Whalley Range Historic building A Grade II* building used to be a college for Nonconformists. Now, it features British Muslims involvement in WW II, and the House of Wisdom (an exhibition dedicated to civilization contributions by Muslims. The centre offers other cultural and community services. Open day is also available. http://www.bmhc.org.uk/
Bury Art Museum Bury Bury Multiple Victorian paintings, contemporary art, photography and craft, local history and culture
Bury Transport Museum Bury Bury Transportation website, located in the former goods warehouse for the East Lancashire Railway, development of transport in the North West, railway cars and equipment, historic road vehicles and buses, steam rollers
Castlefield Gallery Manchester Manchester Art Artist-led gallery for contemporary visual art
Central Art Gallery Ashton-under-Lyne Tameside Art website, exhibits include paintings, sculpture, installation and textiles, also Rutherford Gallery with work by local artist Harry Rutherford
Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art Manchester Manchester Art Contemporary art from Chinese artists from around the world
Clayton Hall Living History Museum Manchester Manchester Once owned by the Byron family and Sir Humphrey Chetham. The hall is located on a mound (designated as an Ancient Monument) and reached by a stone bridge over the now dry moat.
Dunham Massey Hall Dunham Massey Trafford Historic house Operated by the National Trust, Georgian house, deer park, gardens
Elizabeth Gaskell's House Manchester Manchester Historic house Mid-19th-century home of author Elizabeth Gaskell and ties to other authors
Ellenroad Engine House Newhey Rochdale Technology Fully working 3000-horsepower cotton mill engine with its original steam plant, other steam engines
Fusilier Museum Bury Bury Military History and memorabilia of the Lancashire Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
Gallery of Costume Fallowfield Manchester Fashion Clothing and accessories from the 17th century to the present, located in Platt Fields Park and operated by Manchester Art Gallery
Gallery Oldham Oldham Oldham Multiple Art, social and natural history collections alongside touring work, newly commissioned and contemporary art, international art and work produced with local communities
Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum Rochdale Rochdale Firefighting website, full-size fire appliances, equipment, uniforms, models, photographs, medals and insignia, memorabilia
Greater Manchester Police Museum Manchester Manchester Law enforcement Victorian police station and cells, magistrate's court, historic police equipment and uniforms, vehicles, forgery and forensic science
Haigh Hall Wigan Wigan Historic house Mid-19th-century country house open for tours
Hall i' th' Wood Bolton Bolton Historic house Early 16th-century timber-framed manor house, open by appointment and on special days
Hat Works Stockport Stockport Industry Hat-making industry, hats and headgear
Heaton Hall Manchester Manchester Historic house 18th-century period country house, located in Heaton Park and operated by Manchester Art Gallery
Heaton Park Tramway Manchester Manchester Railway Restored trams, located in Heaton Park
HOME Manchester Manchester Art International centre for contemporary visual arts and film
Horwich Heritage Centre Horwich Bolton Local website, local history, culture, industry, transportation
Imperial War Museum North Trafford Park Trafford Military 20th- and 21st-century conflicts involving British and Commonwealth citizens
John Rylands Library Manchester Manchester Library Exhibits of art, history, literature from its collections
The Lowry Salford Quays Salford Art Arts centre with exhibit galleries for modern and contemporary art, photography and design, and works by LS Lowry
Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Manchester Art Collection includes English, Dutch, French and Italian historic paintings, modern and contemporary art, works relating to Manchester, textiles, metalwork, toys, silverware and furniture
Manchester Jewish Museum Cheetham Hill Manchester Ethnic Located in a former late 19th-century Spanish and Portuguese synagogue, history and culture of Manchester's Jewish community
Manchester Museum Manchester Manchester Multiple Operated by the University of Manchester, natural history including dinosaurs and geology, Ancient Egypt, money, archery, archaeology, anthropology, city's history and culture, and vivarium
Manchester United Museum Old Trafford Trafford Sports History and memorabilia of Manchester United F.C., located at Old Trafford stadium
Mossley Industrial Heritage Centre Mossley Tameside Industry website, local cotton industry, houses in a former cotton-spinning mill
Museum of Science and Industry Manchester Manchester Multiple Science, technology, industry, transportation and the city's contributions
Museum of the Manchester Regiment Ashton-under-Lyne Tameside Military website, history and artifacts of the Manchester Regiment
Museum of Transport Cheetham Hill Manchester Transportation Buses and public transportation history
Museum of Wigan Life Wigan Wigan Local Formerly the History Shop and Wigan Public Library. Includes exhibits on local history, culture, archaeology and industry.
National Football Museum Manchester Manchester Sports Located in the Urbis building, association football history and memorabilia
Ordsall Hall Ordsall Salford Historic house Former stately home dating back to the 15th century, includes stained and painted glass, local history exhibits
Pankhurst Centre Chorlton-on-Medlock Manchester Historic house Home of suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst and family, history of the movement
Park Bridge Heritage Centre Park Bridge Tameside Local Local history, ironworks, natural history
People's History Museum Spinningfields Manchester History History of working people in the United Kingdom and labour relations
Portland Basin Museum Ashton-under-Lyne Tameside Local Local history, industry, trades, 1920s street with shops, period rooms, historic machines
Rochdale Pioneers Museum Rochdale Rochdale History Historic store and history of the early consumers' cooperative
Saddleworth Museum Saddleworth Oldham Local Local history, trades, textile industry, canals, railroads, transportation, culture, exhibits of local and regional contemporary art
Salford Museum and Art Gallery Salford Salford Multiple Local history, Victorian art, replica Victorian street with shops, contemporary art and photography exhibits
Smithills Hall Bolton Bolton Historic house Family home dating back to the 14th century, reflects medieval, Tudor and Victorian periods
Staircase House Stockport Stockport Historic house 15th-century medieval house with rooms from different centuries
Stockport Art Gallery Stockport Stockport Art website
Stockport Air Raid Shelters Stockport Stockport Military Almost 1 mile of underground air-raid shelters used during World War II
Stockport Museum Stockport Stockport Local website, local history, archaeology, industry, transportation, culture
Touchstones Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale Multiple Art, local history, culture
Trencherfield Mill Steam Engine Wigan Wigan Technology Massive 2,500 horse power working steam engine for the textile mill, open on Sundays
Whitworth Art Gallery Moss Side Manchester Art Collections include modern art, watercolours, sculpture, wallpaper and textiles, part of the University of Manchester
Wythenshawe Hall Northenden Manchester Historic house 16th-century Tudor house reflecting four centuries of use