GMP Museum and Archives

Who we are

The Greater Manchester Police Museum and Archives enables your pupils to experience what life was really like for police officers in a busy Victorian police station, seeing how times have changed and how policing has evolved to meet today’s needs. Explore Manchester’s hidden past with your pupils; a labyrinth of alleyways and slums interrupted only by the huge mills casting shadows below. Located in the historic Northern Quarter of Manchester, the Police Museum was one of the city’s earliest police stations and has been lovingly restored to reflect the reality of policing in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Museum archives contain a wealth of material on the geographical area covered by Greater Manchester Police today and spans 160 years. The museum learning team is made up of trained volunteers who help educational groups to explore the galleries and bring history to life. A guided visit provides pupils with a unique understanding of Manchester’s social history and provides expert knowledge enabling students to draw comparisons between policing in the past and present day. The learning team prides itself on the fact that each guided tour is carefully suited to meet the aims of the visit and subject matter. Educational visits can be conducted for any key stage and are free. In addition the Magistrate’s Courtroom can be hired by educational groups to run mock trials. The museum provides the opportunity for young people to discover more about policing and to talk to staff and volunteers, some of whom are ex-officers themselves. Teachers may be able to try to re-create a courtroom setting in their classroom but it isn’t the same as actually standing in an authentic dock or acting as Magistrate behind a real Magistrate’s bench. Likewise, the atmosphere of the Charge Office and Cells, dating back to 1879, provides excellent opportunities for sensory tours and groups are encouraged to look, smell, listen and handle objects.