Greater Manchester Police Museum & Archives

Love that the tours are conducted by retired police personnel, including Sandie, who in the 1970s, championed for policewomen to wear trousers instead of skirts as part of the uniform. If you enjoy police history, this is a recommended place to visit if you are in Manchester City.

The Police Museum in Newton Avenue is brilliant and completely free. I was greeted by a former Police Officer dressed in an old style uniform with helmet standing at the entrance by the street. He warmly welcomed into the museum and gave me a brief overview of what the museum contains and where everything is. The museum is housed in the original Manchester City Police Station with the authentic front desk and cells. It looked grim to have been held in these Victorian cells with anywhere up to 10 other suspected criminals. Everyone on site is a former Police Officer, so everything they say is genuine and some must go back to 1960s and 70s. It’s not a big museum but I spent over an hour there. All of the displays are interesting to read and very informative. There’s a small gift shop at the end and the opportunity to make a discreet donation. Well worth visiting but it’s only open on Tuesdays and occasionally at weekends, so check their website before you plan your visit.

I visited here during the half term break with my son (11), daughter (9), and my friends with their two sons (13 and 10). We went on Tuesday morning, at around 1130am. Surprisingly, there was a queue to get in, but it didn't take long to gain entry inside. It is free to go in, but you can make donations should you wish. It is a great museum but it is small and doesn't take too long to view it all. You could extend the visit if you read every little bit of history that is in there. Various sections to visit, such as the detective room, craft and dress up room, charging office, cells, and a courtroom. The kids enjoyed the cells the most and spent most of their time there. The volunteers are excellent. They are either in historical police outfits or their volunteer tshirts and trousers. Some of the volunteers have roles to play, such as discussing the charge room, uniform, processes, etc. Or in the cells, the volunteer told us about the old days and how the cells worked back in the day. Some of the volunteers are retired police officers and have some funny stories of old, if they have the time to stand and chat. Very pleasant. You can get a free, timed ticket on entry to visit the courtroom. We went in at 130pm. It is an interactive visit, whereby the kids and adults get to hear a court case and decide if the offender is guilty or not guilty. Quite funny for adults, the kids loved it and found making the decision too enjoyable! 🤣 I have been to the museum before, without the kids, and enjoyed it. The only thing that let it down for me on our visit was the number of people inside. It was too busy. It was difficult to see a lot of the items or read the history as you felt the need to move on to let others see inside. My daughter was disappointed at one point as she couldn't squeeze through to view things. It was difficult and very tight moving in between certain areas of the museum. If I were to visit with the kids again, I would probably go later in the day when the rush has most likely been and gone. You would probably benefit more from the visit. Saying that, the kids had a great time. They did learn things from their visit, and it was a good day out. The staff were very helpful, especially when they were so busy, and I thought they did an excellent job. There is no parking, so if in a vehicle, you need to park in one of the many car parks in the city and walk to the museum. There are toilet facilities inside, including a baby changing/disabled room. There is a small shop when leaving. There is no cafe on site to buy food or drinks. I would recommend to others who are visiting Manchester.

It was wonderful to speak to the ex police volunteers at the museum and to hear about their experiences during their careers. All of the staff were knowledgeable and passionate and really made our visit special. Although a small museum, it had many interesting exhibits and the particular highlight for the children were the cells and the custody suite where they could try on part's of the uniform. Well worth a visit, made extra special by the volunteers.

This hidden gem of a little museum is only open for public visits on Tuesdays; I visited around 2pm and it was fairly quiet. The detective room was my favourite, with several interesting murder cases to read about. There were so many artifacts to look at, from weapons to uniforms, as well as actual cells and a rebuilt court room to walk around.

A wonderful museum. Not just the exhibits, which are fascinating, but also the building and the old charge room and cells. The highlight though is offered by the volunteers, they are mostly former police officers and they have lots of stories to tell. Highly recommended.

This is a must visit for anyone in the locality on its regular Tuesday opening day. A truly impressive collection of police memorabilia brought to life by the marvellous volunteers. You will not be disappointed, there’s even a gift shop to spend your change in before leaving.

A fascinating museum run by volunteers. The passion and information they have bring this museum to life. All so friendly and helpful. Your initially greeted and explore some of the history of GMP before moving on to look at the uniform thoughout the years and how it's changed. The crime room has many gory weapons, many of which hand crafted out of day to day items to create something far more sinister. You then move on to see some vehicles before popping briefly outside to move into the custody wing. Here, again, the staff are full of knowledge and will have you captivated explaining the equipment the price have though the years and how it also keeps them safe. There are original cells to explore with some quirky features such as a bell to ring to flush your toilet. Finally head upstairs (lift is available) and you can see a beautiful courtroom set up ready for a hearing. A free to visit museum openon Tuesdays and worth a visit. Likely allow around an hour if you wish to read the information and chat to the staff.

'Allo, 'allo, 'allo, what's all this then? A Police museum? Actually, it's surprisingly fascinating. If you want to see what your local bobby would mostly have been sporting up to 100 years ago, and if you fancy yourself a modern day Sherlock Holmes, then I highly recommend this museum. Housed in historic Newton Street Police Station, you can still see the the original Victorian cells with their wooden pillows, the 1895 Magistrates' Court and a gallery of vehicles and accessories used by police over the last century. Learn a thing or two about forensic science and forgery or browse the gallery of historic photos. It's fascinating and better still, it's free. N.B It's only open on Tuesdays

TL;DR - A small but perfectly formed museum. We'd been meaning to visit this museum for over a year, but it only open mid week which makes it difficult for us since we're in work all week. However, they opened on a Saturday for the Heritage Open Days weekend which finally gave us a chance to drop by. The museum isn't big, but it's very well put together. First up there's a room about the history of policing, after which you move into a second room decked out with police uniforms and equipment through the ages (my favourite was the reinforced top hat so that an officer could stand on it to look over fences!). There's also a small recreation of a detective inspector's office, a feature on forgeries, and improvised weapons that the police have had to deal with! A third room with vehicles in and from here you can get into a courtyard at the rear of the museum from which you can access the old police cells which have been restored to their former glory (if that's the right word?) along with the old police desk. Upstairs you'll find a courtroom which has been transferred from another station plus a video exhibition. The museum is run by volunteers (hence the strange opening hours) but don't let that mislead you; it's a very well put together museum with fascinating exhibits and an insight into Manchester's past. Apparently they're looking to open on an occasional Saturday in future which would be great - more people need to know about this place!

The history of Greater Manchester Police is consecrated to Newton Street where the police headquarters used to be located in the Victorian era. The entrance decor is a fine testament to that time. However, today the museum sits rather unassumingly amidst the bustling wholesale fashion shops and a Newton Street post office. You will be taken back to the years when Manchester was lit by gas lamps, inhabited by immigrants, and plagued by street crime. On display in the museum are the police uniform and paraphernalia, while the fans of forensic science will delight in several blood-chilling stories. As befits any museum of this type, there is an example of a prison cell, complete with a wooden pillow. Truly, it was hard to be a criminal in the 19th century. Admission is free, and the museum site states that photography for non-commercial purposes is permitted.

One of the free museums in Manchester, if you know that you will be there on a Tuesday then it is worth phoning and booking to go here. There are plenty of interesting exhibits including a trip around the cells, and bits about forgery and forensics. There is no cafe on the site, but as long as you are aware of this and plan your visit accordingly then it isn't a problem. There is also no parking, but with plenty of car parks in and around the area this too is not an issue.

Another one of the many free museums in Manchester.The only bad thing about this is that it is only open on a Tuesday which i learned the hard way the first time i attempted to visit the area.This used to be a police station from 1879-1979 and has loads of old uniforms and weapons etc.You can also visit the old cells.

Cracking little place, some great exhibits including an original Peelers uniform. Helpful staff and like Angela B says its FREE.

Interested in 'Cop-ology?' Visit the surreal and slightly strange Police Museum, housed in an old victorian cop shop in Newton Street. It is a real reluctant attraction - only open on Tuesdays and visits by appointment only. Its a shame because there are some interesting exhibits from long ago - lots of sepia tinted photos, uniforms and an eerie tour of the original holding cells. You'll be amazed at the peculiar crime fighting eqipment used by the boys in blue in the good old days