Manchester Museum

Over het museum

Manchester Museum grew out of the collections of the Manchester Natural History Society and the Manchester Geological Society. In 1868 these collections passed to Owens College, the forerunner of the University of Manchester. The museum opened in its present building on Oxford Road in 1888, to a design by the architect Alfred Waterhouse, and it is still part of the university.

Over the following decades the collections grew to about 4.5 million objects, covering natural science, archaeology, anthropology and world cultures. Among the best known are the fossils, including the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton called Stan, the Egyptian and Sudanese collections, and a live collection of amphibians and reptiles that the museum has cared for over several decades. The museum is also registered as a zoo.

A major, values-led redevelopment was completed in February 2023. It added new galleries developed together with local communities, such as the South Asia Gallery, created in partnership with the British Museum, and the Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery, as well as new visitor facilities including a quiet room, a prayer room, a picnic area and a Changing Places toilet. The museum states that it wants to become a very inclusive and caring museum, and it is openly discussing the colonial roots of its collections and the possible return of objects to communities of origin. It won the European Museum of the Year Award in 2025.

Hoogtepunten

• Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex and April the Tenontosaurus in the Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery
• Egypt and Sudan gallery
• South Asia Gallery, developed with the British Museum
• The Vivarium with live amphibians, including critically endangered harlequin toads (closed for redevelopment from 2 November 2026 until May 2027)
• Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery
• Minerals gallery

Vaste collectie

• Fossils and Dinosaurs – Skeletons of Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex and April the Tenontosaurus, with fossils that show how life and climate have changed.
• Egypt and Sudan – The lives of the people who lived in north-eastern Africa from about 3000 to 30 BCE.
• South Asia Gallery – A gallery developed with the British Museum and community members about South Asian and British Asian culture.

Opgericht

1867

Beheerder

The University of Manchester

Directie

Esme Ward

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

De toegang is gratis.

Entry to all galleries and exhibitions is free. The main temporary exhibition is also free but must be booked in advance; groups can book up to 10 tickets online.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

There is a ramped main entrance on Oxford Road, a step-free cafe entrance from Bridgeford Street, lifts in the Main Hall and near the Living Worlds gallery, and level access to all public spaces. Wheelchairs and a walking frame with a seat can be borrowed at the reception desk. There are four standard accessible toilets and a Changing Places toilet. A hearing loop is fitted at reception, and British Sign Language interpretation and captioning are offered where possible, including a BSL tour. Signage and digital content follow RNIB guidance. Guide dogs and other assistance animals, including assistance dogs in training, are welcome. A quiet room on floor 1 offers ear defenders, and two sensory bags can be borrowed. An Easy Read guide can be downloaded. Blue Badge bays are on the ground floor of University of Manchester Car Park D; the Aquatics Centre car park also has accessible parking. Seating and folding stools are available throughout the building.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Kinderfeestjes

Buggies can be left next to the lockers by the Main Hall. Children can look for live frogs and lizards in the Vivarium (closed from 2 November 2026 until May 2027) and see the dinosaur skeletons. There is a picnic room, a quiet room and a shop section for children's gifts. Children's birthday parties can be booked. Family-friendly highlights tours and family activities during school holidays, such as at October half-term.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Oxford Road has bus gates that are open only to buses, black cabs and bicycles from 6am to 9pm every day, so drivers should avoid them. The museum is on the Oxford Road cycleway, and there are cycle stands across the university campus.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel
• Kluisjes

The Museum Cafe on the ground floor serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, and a Coffee Bar in the Main Hall offers coffee and light snacks. There is a picnic area with tables and microwaves, a prayer room, a water refill station and a museum shop. Lockers are next to the Main Hall. Food and drink are not allowed in the galleries.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

The building can be hired for events and conferences, weddings and ceremonies, filming and photography, large-scale hire and children's birthday parties.

Je bezoek plannen