PHM is the national museum of democracy, telling the story of its development in Britain: past, present, and future.
On this blog we share posts from the PHM team and other experts, with behind the scenes stories, coverage of PHM's exhibitions and events, and highlights from the museum's unique collection.
For LGBT+ History Month 2026 we caught up with curator and Artistic Director Jez Dolan, to find out about the Re/Assemble exhibition and the events of 1988 which created the spark for a project to archive its memories and its legacy.
2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the fifth Pan-African Congress, which took place in Manchester (15 – 21 October 1945). Historian Geoff Brown and PHM and Manchester Metropolitan University researcher Dr Shirin Hirsch look at a document on display in the museum’s galleries in a blog about the role of black activists in Manchester in the build up to the Congress.
People’s History Museum’s Collections Assistant Jaime Starr recounts a brief history of HIV activism in the UK, from the beginning of the epidemic to the present.
A look at the incredible life of one of the first female Labour MPs Ellen Wilkinson, featuring items from People’s History Museum’s (PHM) collection with PHM’s Visitor Experience Supervisor Sara Ferri. October 2024 marks the centenary of Ellen Wilkinson MP taking office.
On 16 August 1819, 60,000 people congregated in St Peter’s Field in Manchester, with demands for the right to vote, freedom from oppression, and justice.
Find out more about this major event in Manchester’s history, and a defining moment for Britain’s democracy.
Are you more independent or community focused? Experimental or measured? Prefer work or play?
Take our quick quiz to find out which radical you are!
