About
The People's History Museum in Manchester is Britain's national museum of democracy, telling the story of the working people's fight for rights, representation, and social justice from the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 to the present day. Located in a stunning restored Edwardian pumping station on the banks of the River Irwell, the museum holds the world's largest collection of political and trade union material.
Established in 1975 as the National Museum of Labour History and renamed in 2001, the museum moved to its current purpose-built premises in 2010 following a £12.5 million Heritage Lottery Fund development. The building combines the historic Hydraulic Power Station (1909) with a striking modern extension, creating 1,750 square metres of gallery space. The museum's location in Manchester is particularly significant - the city has long been at the forefront of social reform movements, from the Chartists to the suffragettes.
The museum's collections comprise over 400 historic trade union and political party banners, 4,000 badges, vast archives of pamphlets and printed material, personal testimonies, and artifacts documenting key moments in British democratic history. Permanent galleries explore themes including radical protests, votes for women, elections and electioneering, and the evolution of workers' rights. Highlights include Thomas Paine's writing desk, Chartist pikes from 1848, suffragette hunger strike medals, and the iconic Co-operative Commonwealth banner from 1921.
With free admission to all galleries, engaging temporary exhibitions on contemporary democratic issues, and an active program of talks, workshops, and family activities, the People's History Museum offers a thought-provoking visitor experience that connects historical struggles to present-day challenges. The museum's mission is to challenge, inspire, and empower visitors to become active citizens, making it essential viewing for anyone interested in how Britain became a democracy.
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Annual Visitors (2019)
150,000
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Weekday mornings (10:00-12:00) for quietest experience, or late afternoons
💡 Visitor Tips
- Allow at least 2 hours to explore the main galleries properly, or 3-4 hours if you want to read all the detailed text panels and watch the video testimonies throughout.
- The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays year-round, so plan your visit for Wednesday-Sunday. Weekday mornings (10:00-12:00) are quietest for a contemplative experience.
- Don't miss the spectacular banner hall on the ground floor - arrive when it opens to see the banners in natural light before the crowds arrive. Photography is allowed without flash.
- The Left Bank Café serves excellent locally-sourced food and fair-trade drinks with riverside views. Perfect for lunch or afternoon tea after visiting the galleries. Booking not required except for large groups.
- Free guided tours are available for groups of 10+ with advance booking. The knowledgeable volunteer guides provide excellent context and bring the stories to life with personal anecdotes.
- The museum runs an excellent program of temporary exhibitions, talks, film screenings, and workshops exploring contemporary democratic issues. Check the website's What's On section before visiting.
- Families: collect a free family trail from reception exploring democracy through games and activities. School holiday workshops are popular - book ahead. Baby changing facilities available.
- The museum shop stocks an outstanding range of books on labour history, politics, and social movements, plus ethically-sourced gifts, radical badges, and campaign posters. Online shop also available.
Highlights
Trade Union Banner Collection
The world's largest collection of historic trade union and political banners, with over 400 spectacular examples dating from the 1820s to the present day. These magnificent hand-painted silk and cotton banners were carried at rallies, demonstrations, and processions, serving as visual symbols of solidarity and collective identity for working people.
Notable examples include the 1821 Salford Silk Weavers banner (one of the earliest surviving British trade union banners), the iconic 1921 Co-operative Commonwealth banner depicting a better future society, and miners' lodge banners from closed collieries across Britain.
The banners combine powerful political imagery with exceptional craftsmanship, featuring allegorical figures, biblical scenes, industrial landscapes, and portraits of labour movement heroes. Many were created by specialist firms like George Tutill of London and James Howe of Darwen. The collection represents a unique form of working-class art and material culture, documenting two centuries of struggle for workplace rights, fair wages, and social justice.
Thomas Paine's Writing Desk
The portable writing desk belonging to Thomas Paine (1737-1809), radical philosopher and author of 'Rights of Man' (1791) and 'The Age of Reason' (1794-1807), two of the most influential texts in the history of democratic thought. Born in Thetford, Norfolk, Paine emigrated to America where his pamphlet 'Common Sense' (1776) galvanized support for independence from Britain.
After the American Revolution, he returned to Europe and wrote 'Rights of Man' defending the French Revolution and arguing for universal male suffrage, progressive taxation, and the welfare state - ideas considered dangerously radical in 1790s Britain.
Paine used this modest mahogany desk to write his revolutionary texts, making it a tangible link to the origins of modern democracy. The desk is displayed alongside first editions of Paine's works and contemporary caricatures depicting him as a dangerous revolutionary. Paine's ideas about human rights, representative government, and social welfare directly influenced the Chartist movement and continue to resonate today.
Suffragette Hunger Strike Medals
A collection of medals awarded to imprisoned suffragettes who endured hunger strikes and brutal force-feeding while campaigning for votes for women between 1909 and 1914. The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), led by Emmeline Pankhurst, adopted militant tactics including window-smashing, arson, and bombing campaigns to force the government to grant women's suffrage.
When imprisoned, many suffragettes went on hunger strike, prompting authorities to introduce the notorious Cat and Mouse Act (1913) which allowed temporary release when strikers became dangerously weak, then re-arrest once recovered.
The silver medals, designed by suffragette jeweller Ernestine Mills in purple, white, and green enamel (WSPU colors), feature a portcullis symbolizing the Houses of Parliament and were inscribed with the recipient's name and dates of imprisonment. Each medal represents extraordinary personal courage and sacrifice in the fight for political equality.
The collection includes medals awarded to prominent Manchester suffragettes, reflecting the city's central role in the movement.
Peterloo Massacre Material
Artifacts, documents, and visual material relating to the Peterloo Massacre of 16 August 1819, when cavalry charged a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter's Field in Manchester, killing at least 18 people and injuring over 600. Approximately 60,000 men, women, and children had gathered to hear radical speaker Henry Hunt demand parliamentary reform, representation for industrial towns like Manchester (which had no MPs), and extension of voting rights beyond the small property-owning elite.
The violent government response shocked the nation and became a defining moment in British democratic history.
The museum's Peterloo collection includes contemporary newspaper reports, satirical prints depicting the massacre (including George Cruikshank's famous 'Massacre at St Peter's or Britons Strike Home!!!
'), a cavalry sabre of the type used in the charge, banners carried at the rally, and personal testimonies from survivors. The material documents not only the tragedy itself but the subsequent radical mobilization that eventually achieved parliamentary reform in 1832.
Collections
The People's History Museum holds the world's most comprehensive collection of material relating to the history of working people and democracy in Britain, comprising over 1. 5 million items spanning 200 years. The core collections focus on four main areas: radical politics and protest movements from the French Revolution to the present; the labour movement including trade unions, co-operatives, and socialist parties; the women's suffrage movement; and election campaigns and political parties.
The museum's banner collection of over 400 historic trade union and political banners is unparalleled globally, designated as an Outstanding Collection of national importance.
Complementing the banners are extensive archives of political pamphlets, periodicals, printed ephemera, badges (over 4,000), photographs, artwork, and three-dimensional objects including Thomas Paine's writing desk, Chartist weapons, and suffragette medals. The collections document key moments in democratic history: Peterloo 1819, the Chartist movement, the match women's strike 1888, votes for women, the General Strike 1926, post-war welfare state, and contemporary protest movements.
All collections are accessible for research by appointment, with catalogues searchable online.
Ideas Worth Fighting For
The museum's main chronological gallery tracing 200 years of British radical history from Peterloo (1819) to the present day.
This powerful exhibition examines how ordinary people fought for democratic rights and social justice, organized politically, and challenged authority. Key sections cover: the aftermath of the French Revolution and demands for parliamentary reform; Peterloo and government repression; Chartism and the struggle for universal male suffrage; trade union formation and the fight for workers' rights; protest movements and campaigns including anti-slavery, temperance, and peace movements.
The gallery features major artifacts including Thomas Paine's writing desk, Chartist pikes, Tolpuddle Martyrs material, election ephemera spanning 200 years, and an interactive timeline connecting historical struggles to modern activism.
Visitors are encouraged to reflect on how past campaigns relate to contemporary issues and consider their own role as active citizens.
📍 First Floor
Main Rights Gallery
A spectacular display of the museum's world-famous trade union banner collection alongside material documenting the women's suffrage movement and labour history. The gallery explores how working people organized collectively to improve their lives, focusing on themes of solidarity, identity, and visual culture.
Historic banners from dozens of unions are suspended from the ceiling creating a stunning visual impact - miners, textile workers, railway workers, dockers, and many others.
Each banner tells a story of struggle, pride, and aspiration for a better future. Alongside the banners are exhibits on specific campaigns and strikes: match women 1888, tailor strike 1889, dockers strike 1889, women chainmakers 1910. The suffrage section features hunger strike medals, WSPU badges, prison letters, and material from key figures including Emmeline Pankhurst, Christabel Pankhurst, and Emily Wilding Davison.
Interactive displays allow visitors to explore banner symbolism and suffrage tactics.
📍 Ground Floor
Everyday Democracy
An interactive gallery connecting historical democratic achievements to present-day challenges and encouraging visitors to think about their own role in democracy. The exhibition explores how democracy works in practice through elections, political parties, campaigns, and civic participation.
Visitors can vote in a historic poll booth, create their own campaign posters, explore election results over time, and engage with touchscreen displays on contemporary democratic issues including voting reform, diversity in Parliament, protest rights, and digital campaigning.
The gallery features a changing display of recent political material - badges, posters, leaflets - from current campaigns and movements.
A large-scale projection displays social media feeds and news coverage relating to democracy and protest in real time. The space aims to provoke discussion and inspire civic engagement, emphasizing that democracy is not a completed achievement but an ongoing project requiring active participation from all citizens.
📍 Second Floor
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.