Welcome to the sixth instalment of our eight hidden gems in and around Manchester.
These are places which might not initially crop up on your itinerary when planning a trip to the city, as you might never heard of them, but you definitely don’t want to miss out on seeing them.
So far, we’ve visited Museum Of Transport, Manchester Jewish Museum, Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, and Chetham’s Library. Today, we’re heading to Greater Manchester Police Museum to delve into the history of GMP.
What is it?
Greater Manchester Police Museum is funded by GMP, and houses a vast collection of official and personal records, as well as interesting historical objects relating to the history of policing in Greater Manchester. The museum was founded in 1981, and has become an important aspect of the community, giving people the chance to interact with staff and volunteers to find out more about policing and its interesting history.
The unique museum is home to an exciting collection of personnel records for police officers and some personal memorabilia. There’s an extensive collection of manuals and handbooks documenting historical police work, and administrative records. Delving deep into history, there’s also records relating to the governing bodies of police forces prior to 1974, and extraordinary registers of Aliens residing in Salford from 1914 to 1969. All to be seen in this very museum!
The museum’s collections cover everything from the history of police uniform, to women in policing and the history of special constables. You can read all about how Greater Manchester Police came about, and how their formation created the largest provincial force in England and Wales back in 1974, all the way up to their operations in 2013.
Interesting historical police items such as a Tipstaff, a Victorian Lantern and the precious helmet of the heroic Police Constable Tom Jewes of Manchester City Police are also displayed in the building, with information about how they were used and why they were important in the police force.
Where is it?
The museum is located on Newton St in the Northern Quarter, and is easy accessible by public transport into the city centre.
Check out the map below:
Greater Manchester Police Museum is open to the public every Tuesday from 10:30 – 3:30, as well as Thursday’s during the school holidays. Private tours can be arranged for a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday by contacting the museum directly. Find out more about visiting here.
Book a tour of Manchester
Want to see Greater Manchester Police Museum and other hidden gems in Manchester with your own eyes? Book one of our highly rated custom built Manchester Taxi Tours to see what the city has to offer, and visit the places that you want to see with the city’s only Green Badge taxi driver & tour guide John Consterdine.
