IWM North is one of the five branches of the Imperial War Museums - the only one outside the South East of England.
Visit the award-winning IWM North, part of Imperial War Museums, and experience amazing personal stories in Daniel Libeskind’s iconic building on the Quays. The award-winning Big Picture Show is a 360-degree audio-visual experience unique to IWM North. Using surround sound, projected moving images and photographs, the show brings to life people’s experiences of war. It immerses you in the action,
creating a sensory experience which is totally involving, and often moving. See the moving artwork Poppies, now on permanent display. The installation is one of many artworks at IWM North created in response to war and conflict, including the architecture of the building itself. Our dedicated team of volunteers are on hand to help you with your visit. Look out for veterans on selected days who tell stories about their service. Enjoy handmade, locally produced food and cakes in our Café & Kitchen and browse retro gifts and souvenirs our onsite shop. Our social media house rules can be found here: https://www.iwm.org.uk/corporate/policies/social-media
Operating as usual
When the war in Ukraine began, there were estimates that Russia would establish air superiority within a matter of days. But 9 months into the war, the skies over Ukraine are still contested. Why have Russia struggled to utilise their air power effectively? And how has the war in the air changed as a result?
Find out in our newest episode of IWM Stories:
https://bit.ly/3VCVzeA
For the next 12 days, we'll be bringing you a new deal every day from the online shop: bit.ly/3FkYiUM
Today's deal: Up to 30% off selected decorations and confectionery: bit.ly/3uq7EYZ
Make sure to check in each day until 14 December and discover each new deal.
There’s just a month left to visit Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline.
Presenting photographs taken by internationally renowned photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind, these powerful works document the devastating reality of living amidst conflict.
Plan your visit: https://bit.ly/3SSW1nU
IWM North is packed full of stories, but we need your wits and imagination exploring our collections and finding connections.
This weekend, discover real artefacts, find surprising stories from our collections and learn as a family about the global impact of conflict from the First World War to today.
Story Seekers is running every weekend at IWM North: https://bit.ly/3CJSNOG
Get 15% off in our online shop this Black Friday by using code BF22 at the checkout.
Explore the entire Christmas collection on the IWM Shop: bit.ly/3V5YRqW
By shopping with IWM, you're helping us to conserve our world-leading collections for future generations.
Violette Rougier-Lecoq was a nurse working for the French Red Cross at the outbreak of the Second World War. She later joined the French Resistance, organising the escape of prisoners from a military hospital. In July 1942, her network was discovered, she was captured and sent to Ravensbrück.
Ravensbrück was a notorious women’s concentration camp. It was intended to house 6,000 women but there were never less than 12,000 imprisoned there. It is estimated that more than 130,000 women passed through the camp between 1939 and 1945, and that 50,000 of them perished from disease, starvation, medical brutality or hard labour.
Lecoq made sketches, including this one titled ‘Amitié’ (Friendship), while a prisoner in Ravensbrück. They were later used by the British Military Tribunal at Hamburg as evidence of the atrocities suffered by prisoners.
Lecoq survived Ravensbrück and the war.
© IWM Art.IWM ART 16518 is on display at IWM North.
"In my mind, I wondered, shall I ever come back? I didn't think I would at the time."
Our Big Picture Show ‘Life on the Line: with footage from Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old’ tells the stories of those who served on the front line during the First World War, from the preparation of young recruits going to the Western Front, to powerful stories of combat.
Using surround sound, projected digital moving images and photographs, our Big Picture Show reveals how war shapes the lives of ordinary people in a powerful and poignant cinematic experience.
Daily at 2pm: https://bit.ly/3V88Dsu
We’re delighted to announce that on Holocaust Memorial Day 2023, IWM North will open Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors.
See over 60 contemporary portraits of Holocaust survivors and their families, including 4 brand-new photographs of north-west based survivors, shining a light on the full lives they have lived and our collective responsibility to cherish their stories.
In partnership with The Royal Photographic Society, The Jewish News, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Dangoor Education and Northern partner THE FED, Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors will showcase works from 13 photographers, alongside photography by RPS patron, Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales.
Opening 27 January 2023: https://bit.ly/3Ee2sfk
Today, at 11 o'clock, 11 November we mark the signing of the armistice in 1918, which brought an end to hostilities on the Western Front.
Today we remember all those who have suffered as a result of conflict.
© IWM (EPH 2313)
This hand-propelled tricycle belonged to Charlie Hankins, who was severely wounded in 1943, in a fierce battle during the North African campaign.
Hankins recalled being hit by mortar fire:
“One of my legs was blown off, I was blinded in one eye, had a gunshot wound in the chest and my left hand was torn by shrapnel. As I tried to make my way to safety, my other leg fell off. I was 22 years old and didn’t think much of my chances”
Upon his return to Britain, Hankins was fitted with artificial legs and worked for thirty years as a toolmaker. Ill health forced him to purchase a tricycle for mobility and move in 1971 into the Royal Star and Garter Home, Richmond, which cares for disabled ex-service personnel.
Hankins became a tireless fundraiser and rode his tricycle between Land’s End and John O’Groats to raise money for the Home and other charities.
© IWM SUR 544 on display at IWM North.
The IWM Christmas range has landed!
Cosy up this festive season in our brand new Santa in a Spitfire Jumper and Socks:
https://bit.ly/3sY6tzn
Explore the entire Christmas range on the IWM Shop: https://bit.ly/3WviaL
This week, IWM curators joined Sky News to discuss how the war in Ukraine has redefined the nature of modern warfare, live from IWM London.
Watch here: https://bit.ly/3T5fPUG
Join Sky's Mark Austin and his panel consisting of Sky News correspondents and experts for a special broadcast live from the Imperial War Museum in London. T...
The IWM North building is hard to miss – the aluminium-clad façade with jutting angles has become an iconic part of the Manchester skyline since it was built in 2002. But have you ever wondered about the story behind the iconic architecture?
Our free volunteer talks cover a variety of topics, including David’s talk which uncovers the story behind IWM North’s design and why the building might feel strange to you.
Plan your visit: https://bit.ly/3BBer5z
‘It was very powerful.’
Read more about our visitors’ responses to Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline at IWM North in the Metro: https://bit.ly/3N65tSY
This painting was created in 1918 by Flora Lion, an established society portrait artist who organised permission to sketch factories in Leeds and Bradford during the First World War.
This scene at the Phoenix Dynamo Company in Bradford shows the factory canteen filled with female workers taking their lunch break, chatting and queueing in their work-issued uniforms. They are depicted by Lion as a sisterhood of strong young women, looking confident and relaxed. Canteens like this one were a popular wartime welfare innovation, aimed at maximising production efforts. For many women, it was their first chance for a good regular meal.
You can see Lion’s ‘Women’s Canteen at Phoenix Works, Bradford’, as well as many other artworks on display at IWM North.
© IWM Art.IWM ART 4434
Looking for great family days out this half term?
Discover IWM North’s hidden stories of camouflage, put your own Dazzle camouflage designs to the test, and travel back in time to join a series of deception operations used in North Africa during the Second World War.
Free family activities are running every day until 30 October: https://bit.ly/3SXApXx
At the Spirit of Manchester Awards last week, IWM North volunteer Steve De Asha won the Volunteer of the Year Award!
Steve started volunteering with us in October 2020, and since then has clocked up an impressive 1,400 hours of volunteering (over a thousand of which have been this year).
Congratulations Steve and a huge thank you for volunteering with us!
'Catch this vital exhibition before it heads to London next year.' - Time Out on Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline at IWM North.
Find out why Time Out says IWM North’s newest exhibition is one of the best things to do in Manchester this weekend: https://bit.ly/3SWIprX
Watch photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind introduce Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline at IWM North.
Opening today, this exhibition features photographs taken by Anastasia during her time in Ukraine between 2014 and June 2022. These powerful works - displayed publicly in a UK exhibition for the first time – document the devastating reality of living amidst conflict.
Open until 2 January 2023: https://bit.ly/3SSW1nU
Tomorrow, we open IWM North’s newest exhibition, Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline.
Presenting photographs taken in Ukraine between 2014 and June 2022 by internationally renowned photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind, these powerful works document the devastating reality of living amidst conflict.
Opening 14 October: https://bit.ly/3SSW1nU
This amber heart-shaped charm was carried by a Lowestoft trawlerman during the First World War as superstitious protection against drowning.
Keeping Britain supplied with food cost lives, an estimated 14,000 British merchant seamen died in U-boat attacks or sinking during the war. As an island nation, Britain was heavily dependent on imports. Civilians were implored to eat home-grown food to combat the U-boat threat.
IWM North's First World War displays are full of many more unique historic objects, like this charm, that vividly reveal what it was like to live through this time, on the far-flung fighting fronts as well as closer to home.
Plan your visit: https://bit.ly/3RpzbDK
© IWM EPH 4890
We’re recruiting for Front of House ‘Discover’ volunteers at all of our branches.
Whether you’re a regular visitor or new to IWM, a history expert or an enthusiastic beginner – this is your chance to get involved.
Find out more and apply by 17 October: https://bit.ly/3V2eGPM
There's just one week to go before IWM North opens its newest exhibition, Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline, featuring photographs taken by Anastasia Taylor-Lind.
Anastasia's photography begins with the violent protests of 2014, which led to the removal of a Ukrainian government that chose ties with Russia over the West.
Weeks later, Russian forces annexed Crimea before supporting a separatist movement in Donbas and leaving eastern Ukraine divided, with some parts declaring independence.
Attempts to reach a settlement failed and the conflict continued to simmer in Donbas. It escalated to outright war when Russia invaded the country in February 2022.
During this eight-year period, Anastasia continued to document the lives of ordinary citizens, uprooted by the threat of the frontline, the reality of displacement, and the pain of separation from loved ones.
Opening 14 October: https://bit.ly/3SSW1nU
©Anastasia Taylor-Lind
IWM North is full of stories to inspire, with free fun packed family missions and adventure trails every weekend and daily during the October school holidays.
Plan your next day out with our full schedule of family activities here: https://bit.ly/3SXApXx
In the trenches of the First World War, snipers were a lurking threat, and bullets caused terrible head injuries. Inventor John Brodie’s steel helmet proved to be highly effective against shrapnel and debris, reducing head injuries by 75 per cent.
This example, belonging to Private William Henry Short VC, protected its wearer from head injuries, but it could not save him from a fatal leg injury inflicted during the Battle of the Somme.
IWM North's newly refreshed First World War displays are full of many more unique historic objects, like this helmet, that vividly reveal what it was like to live through this time, on the far-flung fighting fronts as well as closer to home.
Plan your visit: https://bit.ly/3NQnftE
© IWM UNI 11312
At IWM North, you can uncover the human stories behind our displays with talks from our expert volunteers.
From experiences of being an evacuee during the Second World War, to discovering what life was like as a prisoner of war, our volunteers share extraordinary, personal stories of living through conflict.
Plan your visit: https://bit.ly/3BBer5z
IWM North is packed full of stories, but we need your wits and imagination exploring our collections and finding connections.
This weekend, discover real artefacts, find surprising stories from our collections and learn as a family about the global impact of conflict from the First World War to today.
Story Seekers is running every weekend at IWM North: https://bit.ly/3CJSNOG
Timeline photos
During the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the world changed dramatically as a result of conflict. From her childhood and wartime service, to her role as a monarch, these photography and film records held by IWM help tell the story of her extraordinary life.
Discover more: https://bit.ly/3DtHP03
On 14 October, IWM North will be opening its newest exhibition, Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 shocked the world. For those living in Donbas and Crimea, however, the harsh reality of war has loomed since 2014, foreshadowing a conflict which has become one of Europe’s most devastating since the Second World War.
Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline displays images from renowned photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind. Taken during her time in Ukraine between 2014 and June 2022, these powerful works document the devastating reality of living amidst conflict.
With perspectives from Ukrainian journalist Alisa Sopova throughout and quotes from the subjects of Anastasia’s photographs, this exhibition will bring to life the human stories of a handful of individuals within this conflict which has impacted millions.
Running from 14 October 2022 until 1 January 2023: https://bit.ly/3BAWqp3
© Anastasia Taylor-Lind
We at IWM are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Her Majesty The Queen and would like to express our condolences to all her family.
IWM is hugely grateful to HM The Queen for the generous support and interest that she has taken in IWM during her reign and lifetime.
As a mark of respect, it has been decided by the Trustees and Executive Board of IWM to close our five branches on the day of HM The Queen’s state funeral, which will be announced by the Royal Family in due course. This decision was taken in consultation with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Books of condolence are open for visitors at IWM London, HMS Belfast, IWM Duxford and IWM North. The Royal Family has opened a digital book of condolence, which can be found on their official website. Flags at IWM London, IWM Duxford and HMS Belfast are being flown at half-mast.
Did you know that within IWM North's Main Exhibition Space, there are six Silos, inspired by themes that have encompassed war all the way from 1914 through to the present day?
Pictured is the Experience of War Silo, which gives our visitors a chance to explore what it is like to live in a world at war.
Plan your visit: https://bit.ly/3RpzbDK
What is the history behind the devastating war in Ukraine, and where did it all begin?
Comedian Sophie Duker explores with journalist Olga Tokariuk, historian Samir Puri and IWM's Carl Warner in the latest episode of the Conflict of Interest podcast.
Listen here: https://bit.ly/3PFfBSr
The Quays, Trafford Wharf Road
Manchester
M171TZ
The nearest Metrolink stations to IWM North are MediaCityUK or Harbour City. Trams run direct from Manchester Piccadilly, Deansgate-Castlefield and St Peter's Square. Visit our website for further transport information, http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-north
| Monday | 10am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 10am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 10am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 10am - 5pm |
| Friday | 10am - 5pm |
| Saturday | 10am - 5pm |
| Sunday | 10am - 5pm |
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Looking for a free family activity this weekend? Look no further than Story Seekers – the trail that lets you discover the most wild and wonderful stories IWM North has to offer, from people who braved shark-infested waters to ingenious nurses. Running every weekend: https://bit.ly/3bUqH83
The Falklands Conflict of 1982 only lasted for 74 days, but it had lasting consequences which continue to be felt today. Prior to 1982, Margaret Thatcher's government was planning major defence cuts, including withdrawing the military from the South Atlantic. Instead, they spent nearly £3 billion defending British sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, and to this day maintain a garrison there. What was the effect of this short conflict for Argentina, Britain and the Falkland Islands, and what impact did it have around the world? Watch here: https://bit.ly/3n1jODW
Watch IWM Curator Kate Clements in the Main Exhibition Space introducing The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at IWM North. Throughout June, a rich selection of archive material is being projected within the museum’s striking architecture, uncovering the unique role of conflict in the life of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. Learn more: https://bit.ly/38IJCl2
Looking for a free, exciting day out this Saturday? Media City has the answer! Visit IWM North before seeing the brand-new show Way Above the Houses created by Cirque Bijou and Quays Culture, and inspired by the people of Salford. As the performers and audience process through Media City, expect aerial acts, community performances and local voices. With parts of the performances passing outside IWM North, make sure to catch it after your visit. Learn more: bit.ly/3970fXD
Can you seek out and collect the most wild and wonderful stories IWM North has to offer? Story Seekers, our free family activity, is running every weekend: https://bit.ly/3OPJXm9
There’s still time to uncover the story of chocolate and the Second World War this Easter. Join us at IWM North on 14 and 15 April for CBBC’s Ben Shires live show, before trying wartime chocolate with Chef Tony. Discover more: https://bit.ly/3Kl71Xc
Discover ‘Chocolate and the Second World War’ - a brand new interactive and live show with CBBC’s Ben Shires at IWM North this Easter. On 14 and 15 April, explore how Britain relied on hazardous trade routes and rationing to keep chocolate factories open and to boost morale. A free activity with free chocolate for all the family. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3j8Q2v6
Book your tickets to the Duxford Summer Air Show or Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show by 23:59 Tuesday 8 March for the chance to win an unforgettable single-person Spitfire flight experience from our friends Aerial Collective Find out more today about the bumper flying season coming this year to IWM Duxford, Cambridgeshire: https://bit.ly/3HzUVYS
Can you seek out and collect the most wild and wonderful stories IWM North has to offer? Story Seekers, our free family activity, is running every weekend: https://bit.ly/35iZEQA
Adventurers, investigators, problem solvers and detectives – our Story Seekers family activity invites participants to search and collect the most wild and wonderful stories IWM North has to offer. Running every weekend and daily 14-18 February at IWM North: bit.ly/3rrCfoH
This timelapse gives a behind the scenes glimpse of the impressive construction process for 'Poppies'. It took 2 months to install over 12,000 ceramic poppies in IWM North’s Air Shard. Each handcrafted poppy was welded to a frame, and a scaffold 30 metres tall was built to install them. The result is a beautiful contemporary artwork which gives our visitors a means to reflect on the way war shapes lives. Have you had a chance to visit the finished installation yet?
IWM North tells the stories of people changed by war. Change your perspective and see what they once saw. Plan your visit today: bit.ly/3KHEICH
The Map Room at the Cabinet War Rooms in Westminster was staffed day and night throughout the Second World War. Some of the most important strategic decisions of the war were planned here, and it was here that Prime Minister Winston Churchill spent the entirety of D-Day. Yet only a handful of people even knew this room existed. Solve missions which take inspiration from the real people who worked in the Cabinet War Rooms during the Second World War, as you become the first to enter the world of Operation Black Door, brand new for 2022. Dress to impress in your finest 1940s costumes to fully immerse yourself in a time where every second counts and every decision is crucial. Thursday 10, Friday 11 & Saturday 12 March 2022. Book your tickets: https://bit.ly/3EjV7ZL
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the history lover in your life? Give them a membership to IWM and a year of free entry to IWM Duxford, Churchill War Rooms and HMS Belfast - and more! IWM members help preserve our world-leading collections for future generations. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3Gk8QBi
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the history lover in your life? Give them a membership to IWM and a year of free entry to IWM Duxford, Churchill War Rooms and HMS Belfast - plus more! Members help preserve our world-leading collections for future generations. Find out more: bit.ly/3HGmq3B
Looking for something to brighten up your walls? In collaboration with contemporary artist Joe Cruz, we are selling an exclusive, limited edition series of six prints reflecting the global scale of the Second World War. Using photos from the IWM archive that feature in IWM London’s new Second World War Galleries, Cruz spotlights the experiences of people from places within the former British Empire using his energetic and bold style. Buy online: https://bit.ly/3BuNuye Joe Cruz, 2021
Don’t forget to listen to our bonus episode of the Conflict of Interest podcast - all about 9/11. Who were Al-Qaeda and what did they believe? What actually happened on 9/11? How have the attacks shaped our current world and values? Find out with guests Suruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire, hosts of RedHanded: True Crime Podcast as they ask the important questions about the events of 9/11. Listen here: https://bit.ly/2Xg8vPj
The Battle of the Somme was a joint operation between British and French forces, intended to achieve a decisive victory over the Germans on the Western Front. It came to define the brutal trench warfare of the First World War and remains one of the most painful and infamous episodes of the conflict. In this episode of IWM Stories, Alan Wakefield sets out to discover who really won the Battle of the Somme: https://bit.ly/3zVa9nQ
"This is grand to be able to speak to you like this!" This short film is from an extraordinary collection called Calling Blighty, in which armed forces personnel stationed in India and the Far East during the Second World War recorded messages to be sent back home. Here men from the South Lancashire Regiment stationed in India, are given a few seconds each to record a message that 12 weeks later would have been screened for their loved ones back home in local Manchester cinemas. Somewhat like a one-way Zoom call, these moving videos were produced to improve communications with home and raise morale for troops who were often stationed abroad for many years at a time. You can explore the full Calling Blighty series on IWM's Film Archive: bit.ly/2T9i9R9
The allied evacuations from Dunkirk in 1940 are often described as a miracle. After Germany's blitzkrieg swept through France and the Low Countries, expectations for Operation Dynamo were dismally low, and yet over 338,000 allied soldiers were saved. So how did they do it? In this new episode of IWM Stories, our curator Paul Cornish looks at the 3 things that made the Dunkirk evacuations such a success. Find out how the Allies snatched a small victory from the jaws of a disastrous defeat: bit.ly/3uTlUbH
