Telephone: +44 (0)161-8364000
Website: http://north.iwm.org.uk
Shop: shop present
Restaurant/refreshments: restaurant
Size of the museum/site: large
Year of visit: 2003
Overall rating:
Description: Manchester, the industrial metropolis in northern England, has seen the rise of a completely new working, living and leisure area, located in the south-western part of the city. The Quays, as the area is named, is easily accessible from the city centre by the Metrolink tramway-system. The Imperial War Museum North is housed in a futuristic building (designed by the same architect who designed the new World Trade Centre) at the heart of The Quays. From the top of the building you can enjoy a great view over the entire area.
The museum consists of a nice exhibition hall, a restaurant and a large shop. The exhibition contains a few larger items like a tank, some artillery pieces and a Harrier aircraft, and various smaller items accompanied by useful information on panels and videoscreens. Top feature of the museum are the different large audio-visual shows performed once an hour, spanning walls across the entire exhibition hall. The shows provide a realistic image of all aspects of war, from trench fighting to the persuasive powers of propaganda and the dangers of fascism.
Although the Imperial War Museum North boasts less items than the vast collection of the main IWM-collection in London, it is certainly worth checking out!
