Welcome to the first 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.
The first location we’re looking at is the Museum of Transport, the perfect place for a uniquely unusual and interesting day out for all the family.
What is it?
The Museum of Transport takes you back in time, to visit the history of Greater Manchester’s public road transport. It is home to one of Britain’s biggest collection’s of coaches, buses and even trams, dating as far back as 1824, up until what they look like now.
Horse-drawn buses, old tramways and motor buses are just a snippet of what you can expect to see at the museum, along with an array of fascinating finds in their object collections. From bus stops to badges and buttons of transport operators, engineering equipment and even an expansive collection of uniforms from drivers, conductors, inspectors and timekeepers – it’s like noting you’ve ever seen before.
That’s not all. As well as huge collections of vehicles and objects, the museum has also held on to an extensive haul of documents relating to the Greater Manchester transport industry. We’re definitely not just talking about a small-scale collection here, as they say: “We have virtually every published book on local transport history, technical workshop manuals, around 200 periodical titles, over 2,000 time and fare tables, annual reports and accounts, commemorative brochures, Acts of Parliament, and examples of tickets from all the Greater Manchester operators.”
Of course, there’s no way that the museum could put a roof over all of Manchester’s historical public transport vehicles, so although they’ve got an impressive real-life collection, you’re able to see even more as they’ve held on to several thousand photos of buses, trams, buildings and interesting scenes in and around Manchester.
If you’re looking to visit the Museum of Transport, you might want to keep an eye out for any of their special events – throughout the year, they hold events giving people the chance to travel on some of their vehicles. You can find out more about these opportunities here.
Free Virtual Tour of Greater Manchester Transport Museum
Our very own green badge taxi driver and tour guide John Consterdine took a trip to the museum, to give you a sneak peek of what to expect.
Where is it?
The Museum of Transport is located just 1.25 miles north of the city centre, at the end of Boyle Street (M8 8UW), just off Queens Road (A6010).
Check out the map below:
Click here to find out more about opening times, admission charges and travel options.
Book a tour of Manchester
Want to see the Museum of Transport 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.
