Greater Manchester Police Museum & Archives

About

'One of the city's best-kept secrets is this superb museum' Lonely Planet - Great Britain 2009.

Explore Manchester’s hidden past – a labyrinth of alleyways and slums, interrupted only by the huge mills casting shadows below. An eerie underworld, where police officers were kept busy apprehending unsavoury characters of all ages.

The Greater Manchester Police Museum and Archives enables you to experience what life was really like for these officers, in what was once a busy Victorian Police Station. You’ll also see how times have changed and how policing has evolved to meet today’s needs.

Located in the historic Northern Quarter of Manchester, the museum was one of the city's earliest police stations and has been lovingly restored to reflect the reality of policing in the late 1800's/ 1900's. See where Manchester's criminals were charged, fingerprinted and discover the cells that were often packed with twelve men on a busy night. Why not have a seat on the cell beds with their wooden pillows!

Admire the polished wood panels and stained glass in the Magistrates Courtroom and experience how inmates would have felt standing in the dock!

Admission Free

Open Tuesday (and Thursday during school holidays) 10.30am to 3.30pm (last admission at 3pm)

Other weekdays by appointment for group visits

Open weekdays for group/ educational visits and archive research by appointment only, maximum group size 20-25

Closed weekends and public holidays

The museum has toilets, a small cloakroom and an on-site shop.

Visitors with specific access requirements should contact the museum before their visit. The museum has access ramps and a lift to the first floor (this cannot be used in the event of an emergency evacuation)

Please note due to the age of the building there is restricted access for prams and pushchairs.