Imperial War Museum North
Manchester’s Imperial War Museum North is one of the most unconventional buildings in the UK. The award-winning building was designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind and is located at the Quays.
The building itself exhibits a highly complex geometry. The design represents a globe shattered by war and broken into shards. The Earth Shard is the main gallery of the building, the Water Shard a restaurant, while the Air Shard is a large tower offering good views of Manchester and the Quays. Sloping floors and ceilings induce disorientation similar to that experienced in war.
Although the museum does contain physical objects, its main focus is on experiences of war rather than the weapons themselves. Permanent exhibits include:
- The Big Picture - Every hour the museum’s lights are dimmed and visitors are treated to an award-winning 360° audio-visual experience. Continually changing images of war are projected onto the gallery walls and floor, accompanied by music, sounds and recordings.
- Large Objects - These include the artillery piece that fired the first shell from the British side in the First World, a Harrier jump jet, an East German Trabant car, and a T-34 Soviet tank. One of the most recent additions to the collection is a car destroyed in a bombing on Al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad in 2007.
- Silos - Six separate exhibition areas exploring different aspects of war including the role of women, the British Empire and Commonwealth, and the contributions of science and technology.
The museum’s gift shop sells postcards, souvenirs, books, DVDs, and more. Other facilities here include the WateShard Café, and public toilets.
The Imperial War Museum is open 7 days a week. Opening hours are 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is free.
The nearest Metrolink stations are MediaCityUK and Harbour City. Trams run from Piccadilly (train station), Piccadilly Gardens (bus station), St Peter’s Square, and Deansgate-Castlefield.
Bus services to the Imperial War Museum include the 250 from Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester City Centre to the Trafford Centre and the 290/291 from Piccadilly Gardens to Flixton.
Visitors travelling by car and using satellite navigation systems should note that the postcode for the Imperial War Museum is M17 1TZ. Car parking is available at £4 per day.
Reviews / Comments / Additional Information