Museums | Curiosities

Museums

Elephants, Tigers, Dinosaurs, you can see them all in our museums. Visit our exhibitions, take part in our events. Whether you’re visiting your local museum or museums farther afield, there is a great deal to discover in our museums. Visit each museum’s website to find out details of what is happening there.

Blackburn Museum

With displays of local wildlife, the Bowdler beetle collection, a pair of Great Bustards, and extensive art collections, Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery is well worth a visit.

Bolton Museum, Art Gallery, and Aquarium

Bolton Museum is currently redeveloping its "Wildlife on your Doorstep" and "Welcome to your World" natural history galleries.

Brantwood, Coniston

The former home of John Ruskin. Brantwood house, gardens and estate reflect the wealth of cultural associations associated with Ruskin’s legacy, including much of his own natural history collection.

Clitheroe Castle Museum

Recently redisplayed galleries take you on a journey through 350 million years of history, heritage and geology of the local area. Younger hearts may take an adventure kitted out with rucksack, map and magnifying glass!

Dock Museum, Barrow

Built over an historic graving dock, the museum is home to a wealth of objects and information on the social and industrial history of the Furness area.We have a landscaped site and Channelside walks linking to the Cumbria Coastal Way.

Gallery Oldham

Gallery Oldham specialises in temporary exhibitions, often exploring nature. Many of the amazing collections are associated with the Oldham Microscopical Society & Field Club which was founded in 1864. There is also a wildlife garden outside.

Grosvenor Museum, Chester

The Grosvenor Museum’s natural history gallery tells you all about the history of the city’s Victorian naturalists, local species, geology and the history of life on earth.

Helena Thompson Museum

The Helena Thompson Museum is set in fine grounds

Kendal Museum

Kendal Museum has three natural history galleries, exploring local wildlife, world wildlife (with great taxidermy) and the geology of the Lake District. The museum has links to author Alfred Wainwright, who wrote famous books on hill-walking in the Lake District.

Keswick Museum

Described as a Victorian cabinet of curiosities. Keswick Museum includes an incredible 'slate piano', of musical stones, which was once played to Queen Victoria.

Manchester Museum

Part of the University of Manchester, open to everyone. Galleries include practically everything natural you can imagine, from dinosaurs to live frogs, meteorites to insects.

Collections include 4 million natural history specimens, including 2 million insects and 750,000 shells

Museum of Lancashire, Preston

Visit to see the skeleton of the famous Poulton Elk and the horns of an Aurochs – now extinct, these animals lived locally just after the last ice age.

Museum of Wigan Life

The Museum of Wigan Life tells the story of the people and industry of Wigan, supported by the collections of Wigan Leisure and Heritage Service.

Penrith and Eden Museum

Penrith and Eden Museum combines natural history, social history and art collections.

Ruskin Museum, Coniston

Set in beautiful Cumbrian surroundings, the Ruskin Museum has displays of John Ruskin’s own natural history collections and artworks, including his agate collections and beautiful sketchbooks of clouds and skies. You can also see displays on the local geology and copper-mining industry.

Stockport Story Museum

Stockport Story tells the history of Stockport.

Tatton Park, Cheshire

An amazing stately home, farm and gardens, with Fallow Deer roaming around in the park. Includes a museum of curiosities including a huge meteorite, and lots of taxidermy.

The Armitt, Ambleside

The Armitt was founded in 1912 and in many respects is a typical local museum, quirky, unruly, chaotic and surprising. It includes Beatrix Potter's wonderful illustrations of Fungi among its diverse collections.

The Atkinson, Southport

The Atkinson is Southport's museum and art gallery. New galleries explore the Southport coast and how people have used it. Has a great taxidermy collection.

The Beacon, Whitehaven

The Beacon is Whitehaven's museum and gallery.

The Whitaker, Rossendale Museum and Art Gallery

A famous Tiger and Python stuffed 200 years ago, a baby Asian Elephant and Polar Bear. The Whitaker combines natural history, art, anthropology and social history, all under one roof in a converted mansion house in a beautiful park. There's a fantastic cafe too.

Touchstones, Rochdale

Touchstone uses Rochdale's unique collections to show how local people and events made their impact on the area and the world.

Towneley Hall, Burnley

There’s plenty of natural history at Towneley Hall, both in the museum’s galleries and in the surrounding parkland- look out for local favourite 'Ben the Bear' in the museum. The River Calder runs through the park and is a great place to see wildlife.

Tullie House

Tullie House, Carlisle

Tullie House Museum holds important collections and information about the wildlife and geology of Cumbria. The natural history of the Lakeland Fells, Eden Valley and Solway Firth are explored in the Wildlife Gallery.

Victoria Gallery and Museum, University of Liverpool

Set in a magnificent Waterhouse building. Natural history display in top floor gallery, with some weird and wonderful pickled specimens.

Warrington Museum and Art Gallery

A real cabinet of curiosities, and home to a famous stuffed seal. Recently redisplayed galleries of natural history specimens are a real 'cabinet of curiosities'.

West Park Museum, Macclesfield

Located in one of the country’s oldest public parks, West Park Museum is home to a stuffed Giant Panda with an incredible story, the only one in a North West Museum. You can also see wonderful examples of the work of wildlife artist Charles Tunnicliffe, a local lad.

World Museum, Liverpool

One of the best regional museums in the UK. Home to a brilliant hands-on discovery centre, an aquarium, and a giant pterodactyl.