Greater Manchester Police Museum
Exhibits from the Greater Manchester Police Force
Where?
Get there
- Public Transport
Bus/Train/Tram, 2 mins walk - Private Transport
City centre parking
- Tuesday only, 10–4
- (times/price are a guide only)
Public transport: tram/bus to ‘Piccadilly Gardens’, or bus New Ancoats Street, 2mins. Private transport: Newton Street, poorly‐rated Port Street, several other street carparks. Mostly step‐free, even for those with mobility issues, but the upstairs courtroom may be twenty stone steps too far.
Review
The Police Museum is small going on tiny. Unless you get to see the courtroom and/or cells, it’s only four rooms, one of which is a shop. It exists as part of an archive and it’s only open reliably on Tuesdays. To the good, it is housed in an old police station and about as central as possible, behind Piccadilly Gardens. Sure, the museum only glances at the history of the Police and there is, as could be expected, nothing about Manchester’s history of Scuttlers, gangs or known criminals; nor the pressures on, and changing perceptions of, the Police in the world’s foremost industrial city (and second largest force in the country); nor about difficult Manchester events or John Stalker… But exhibits such as uniforms, motorcycles, a model horse, police box, paperwork from old cases and a policeman’s desk, complete with ashtray. Cars, too. Also, several of those about are ex‐policemen more than ready to talk. Sometimes small museums are the most memorable and, if you can get yourself here, you’ll not regret this.