Imperial War Museum North Reviews (Manchester, England)

Good, but not quite as good as the original

Rotherham, United Kingdom

February 23, 2013

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Best of IgoUgo As you may have ascertained if you have read any of my other blogs, I have a keen interest in history. When I choose a destination for a vacation, I focus far less on the weather or on beaches or shopping and much more on places to see. This ...Read more As you may have ascertained if you have read any of my other blogs, I have a keen interest in history. When I choose a destination for a vacation, I focus far less on the weather or on beaches or shopping and much more on places to see. This philosophy has stood me in good stead for many years and has taken me to some fantastic places. However, at no point would I define myself as a 'historian' - my degree in American History notwithstanding. My interest in most historical sights tends to be rather general and somewhat sweeping. Only rarely do I find myself enraptured by the minutae of a place. My father, on the other hand, is an avid amateur military historian and is interested in the tiniest details of the wartime experience. Therefore, we had rather differing takes on the Imperial War Museum North.

Unlike its older and more established sibling in London (The Imperial War Museum), the northern version of the museum focuses more on the experiences of those affected by war rather than the intimate details of battles. The scope of the museum is to focus on civilians as well as soldiers when discussing conflicts. Therefore, you do not see too many mannequins bedecked in battle dress and tactical disections of major battles are few and far between. Instead, there are some slightly more artistic displays and a lot more focus on non-military aspects of warfare. Because of this, my father and I had rather disparate views on our visit. I very much enjoyed it, whilst he felt it was short on details. He was disappointed at the lack of old uniforms and spent ordanance, things I had no problem doing without.

I was very much impressed by the design and visual aspects of the IPW. These worked fantastically well - in several different ways - to convey the images of war as it impacted upon normal people. There were two large exhibits that worked fantastically well in doing this. The first was a large arch made up of battered old suitcases that once belonged to refugees displaced by war. It was visually arresting and its imagery really forced home the point that over the past century millions have people have been forced from their homes in various global conflicts. The second image was that of a girder taken from the ruins of the Twin Towers. The huge steel beams are bent grotesquely out of shape. It was an exhibit that scarcely needed to be captioned.

I also trememndously enjoyed the display that dealt with the Cold War. The highlight of this was a beuatifully restored Trabant. There were also some fantastic pieces of art workq These included propaganda from both sides of the Berlin Wall as well as recreations of the pro-democracy movements that sprung up in Eastern Europe in 1989. There was also a fantastic video display that included a safety video from the 1970s that dealt with procedures for evacuation in the event of a nuclear attack. There was not too much about the geo-political aspect of the Cold War - Reagan, Stalin, Gorbachev et al - scarcely get a mention. However, the museum does well in highlighting the ominous sense of danger the period spawned.

As great as I thought the museum was, I did have one or two small quibbles. The first was that it was extremely dark. This made photographing exhibits very difficult and, at times, even made reading some of the captions a chore. It was also rather disconcerting to find that a lot of the audio-visual displays were broadcast across the whole museum, which meant you had no choice but to listen and watch the images that were projected across the walls - whether the topic interested you or not. My one final negative thoguht is on the layout. As the museum focuses more on themes than on a chronological discussion of warfare, the museum lacks a certain logic or flow in its layout, which creates a rather piecemeal effect and can leave the visitor pondering in which direction to walk.

I genuinely found the IPW North to be very interetsing and visually stunning. However, I can relate to my father's criticisms regarding the lack of detail. Considering, though, that admission is free, it is well worth a visit. Close

From journal Northern Soul

War Museum, Northern style

by tvordj

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

November 28, 2012

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Best of IgoUgo As many times as I've been to Manchester, I've never been to the Imperial War Museum at Salford Quays. It was time to rectify that. The museum has been open for about 10 years and is located in the Salford Quays development, across a footbridge from ...Read more As many times as I've been to Manchester, I've never been to the Imperial War Museum at Salford Quays. It was time to rectify that. The museum has been open for about 10 years and is located in the Salford Quays development, across a footbridge from the Lowry theatre but you can get to it by road as well.

The modern building looks over the Ship Canal and has a viewing platform that you can pay a couple of pounds and go up. The platform is enclosed by the tower structure but it's not weather-proof. It's like viewing from a fenced in area so it can be a bit chilly.

The musuem is not large and is an open concept with some smaller cubbyhole type areas for specific displays. The theme is the 20th century and covers war from WWI to the present day. There are vehicles and artifacts and a lot of memorabilia donated by military members over the years. They have letters and audio and video as well. When we were there, they showed a video presentation on all the walls around us and it was chilling to see the Nazi flags and images so large, filling the room for a few minutes. The presentation was about how war affected the lives of children and was narrated by actors, children and probably even some people who were telling their own memories and stories. There were quite a few groups of schoolchildren there that day as well. The stories were very moving. This "Children and War" is part of a three-video presentation called the Big Picture Show that has won awards and rightly so.

There are sections about women at war, the British colonies at war, nuclear age, etc. You can do research there as well.

When you first enter you are presented with a full sized Harrier jump jet hanging from the ceiling and a modern cross-shaped white sculpture interpreting the artist's view of war, it's called The Crusader and while i don't usually take to modern art, it was very good. Other vehicles on display include a firefighting odd looking thing that was used in Manchester during the Blitz and the pod of a fighter plane where the gunner would sit. It looks very tiny considering.

One display that gave us both shivers were two pieces of twisted, rusted metal. One was the remains of a car that had contained a bomb and the other, a taller piece, was the twisted remains of a window framing from the World Trade Centre.

The museum is fully accessible with a lift and accessible toilets. The gift shop is decent and the cafe is a good size. They are open every day until 5. You can get the Metrolink tram to one of two stops across the canal, MediaCityUK or Harbour City and walk over the footbridge. The museum is free but you have to pay for parking if you have your vehicle. Close

From journals Manchester Tips and Tricks, Manchester week in November

Modern museum tells the stories of war

by catsholiday

ashbourne, United Kingdom

December 8, 2011

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Best of IgoUgo Imperial War Museum, Salford QuaysDuring our weekend away with friends in Altringham we spent the day in Salford Quays visiting this museum and the Lowry centre. We arrived at the Quays by train which cost us £10 for four adults from Altringham for ...Read more

From journal Weekend near Manchester

A Thought Provoking Afternoon

by dkm1981

Blackburn, England, United Kingdom

October 29, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo Introduction I remember going to the Imperial War Museum in London when I was a child and having a great time, so when I discovered there was one here in the North, I decided to pay a visit. The Imperial War Museum North is housed in an obscure, but ...Read more

From journals Free Things to do in the North West of England, A Weekend in Manchester

The Imperial War Museum, North

by kazac

Manchester, United Kingdom

September 2, 2004

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Daniel Libeskind designed this building, basing it on a smashed hollow globe. It is set very impressively in the docks of the now retired Manchester Ship Canal, once one of the busiest ports in England. I love approaching from the Lowrie (where ...Read more

From journal Pub Culture in Manchester

Imperial War Museum - 21st century

by davidx

Todmorden, England, United Kingdom

August 22, 2002

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Best of IgoUgo This museum, or rather more technically it is a branch of the Imperial War Museum, opened in 2002. The best way to reach it is over the footbridge from the Lowry centre, access to which is described on its own page. The architect responsible for ...Read more

From journal Roman times to 21st Century

IgoUgo

Imperial War Museum North

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