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.
what3words.com/quite.vouch.claim
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
✊🏼 Some ideas really are worth fighting for
On #InternationalDayOfDemocracy, we’re celebrating the ordinary people who fought to have their voices heard, organising, marching, protesting and pushing for change.
From Peterloo and the fight for women’s suffrage to workers’ rights, LGBTQIA+ rights and equality, the democracy we know today was shaped by people who refused to accept that things couldn’t change.
Democracy is about having a voice, being heard and having the power to shape what comes next.
Come and discover the people, movements and ideas that helped shape our democracy at People’s History Museum.
We’re back open tomorrow and every Wednesday to Monday. Plan your visit and discover the ideas worth fighting for ✊🏼
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #IdeasWorthFightingFor #PeoplePower #Democracy
🔎 How much do you really know about your family’s past?
At PHM, our collections and archives connect individual lives with defining moments in Britain’s democratic history, revealing the people and stories behind them.
Historian David @Olusoga and PHM Researcher Dr Dan Edmonds delve into the museum’s archive, where every record has a story to tell.
On Saturday 19 September, we’re joining forces with @Findmypast for a one of a kind @HeritageOpenDays, giving you the chance to explore your own family history, search historical records, newspapers, and meet genealogy experts.
Every family has a story to tell, what will you discover about yours? Join us on 19 September and find out.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #Findmypast #HeritageOpenDays #FamilyHistory #IdeasWorthFightingFor
👀 Some objects make you stop and look twice
The Women Against Pit Closures t-shirt is one of the objects bringing the stories of protest, community and solidarity to life in On The Line: 100 years of strikes & solidarity.
During the 1984 to 1985 Miners’ Strike, Women Against Pit Closures became a powerful force, organising within mining communities, supporting striking families and taking their campaign onto the streets.
It’s one of many objects in `On The Line` that takes you beyond the picket lines to discover the people, communities and movements behind 100 years of strikes and solidarity.
⏳ There’s not long left to experience the exhibition as it closes on Monday 2 November 2026. Visit today for FREE at Peoples History Museum.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #OnTheLine #WomenAgainstPitClosures #MinersStrike #IdeasWorthFightingFor
👋 Hello! New to PHM?
Welcome to the UK`s national museum of democracy.
Based in Manchester, People’s History Museum tells the story of the people, ideas and movements that have shaped democracy in Britain.
From the fight for the right to vote and workers’ rights to protest, equality and campaigns for change, our collections bring together 200 years of ideas worth fighting for and the people who made their voices heard.
Come in, explore and discover these stories for yourself. Visit our current exhibition On The Line: 100 years of strikes & solidarity, marking the centenary of the 1926 General Strike, before exploring our permanent galleries, from revolutions and Peterloo to the campaigns, movements and people continuing to shape democracy today.
🎟️ We’re free to visit and open weekly from 10am to 5pm, excluding Tuesdays.
#PeoplesHistoryMuseum #IdeasWorthFightingFor #Democracy #ManchesterMuseums #VisitManchester
📅 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
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!
