Explore past, present & future at PHM, the UK's national museum of democracy.
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People's History Museum provides opportunities for all people to learn about, be inspired by and get involved in ideas worth fighting for; ideas such as equality, social justice, co-operation, and a fair world for all.
Wear one of PHM’s ten treasures! To celebrate the 115th birthday of the Manchester suffragette banner, we’ve created an exclusive collection in collaboration with Clavis & Claustra.
Available now in the museum and online shop: https://shop.phm.org.uk/collections/radical-women
Image: A collection of items inspired by the purple and gold of the Manchester suffragette banner: a t-shirt, a pin badge, tea towels and two books.
Happy birthday to this stunning piece of feminist history! 🎂 The Manchester suffragette banner was first unfurled 115 years ago, in June 1908, thus immortalising Manchester as the starting point of the suffragette movement. From today, the banner is on display at PHM until 7 Jan 2024 💜
Watch PHM’s Conservators carefully install the banner ready for display.
Want to help us preserve more history like this? In celebration of the banner, we are holding a fundraising evening on Thursday 6 July with conversation, tours, creativity, a raffle and more. Book tickets: https://phm.org.uk/events_new/manchester-first-in-the-fight/
This Thursday, join a guided tour of the main galleries exploring the lives of women reformists, radicals and revolutionaries!
Book tickets:
https://phm.org.uk/events_new/radical-women-tour/thurs-22-june-2023-12-15pm-1-00pm/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=Main+Gallery+tours+
Image: Sylvia Pankhurst by Halah El-Kholy
Only one week to go until the Manchester banner goes on display at PHM 🤩
Learn more about the banner’s history and how it came into PHM’s collection in this video...
Credit: Britain’s Most Historic Towns, IWC Media and Channel 4.
Celebrate the banner with us at a fundraising evening of conversation and creativity on Thursday 6 July: https://phm.org.uk/events_new/manchester-first-in-the-fight/
The Typographical Association formed in 1849 to represent those involved in printing trades. One side of the banner shows William Caxton, who is believed to have first introduced the printing press to England, examining a printed page with his apprentices. On the other side are two seated women who represent Knowledge and the Messenger.
📸 The Typographical Association Preston Branch banner, around 1870s
Hear more of the stories behind the banners on our next 2023 Banner Exhibition guided tour on Saturday 17 June. Book tickets: https://phm.org.uk/events_new/2023-banner-exhibition-guided-tours/sat-17-june-2023-11-00am-12-00pm/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=Main+Gallery+tours+
Image description: A black banner with stars and pink text. Front says 'The Typographical Association Preston Branch' and shows two women representing knowledge and the messenger. Reverse says 'Knowledge is power. Letterpress printers' and shows four men holding printed pages.
With expert knowledge in women’s rights spanning different countries and centuries: three radical speakers in conversation about Manchester’s activism since the suffragette movement.
Announcing the speakers for Manchester: First in the Fight on Thursday 6 July:
Curator and historian Helen Antrobus, author of First in the Fight: 20 Women who Made Manchester
Afghan judge and campaigner Marzia Babakarkhail, who fled to the UK in 2008 as a refugee after being targeted by the Taliban
Author and activist Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst
Book tickets for this museum fundraiser: https://phm.org.uk/events_new/manchester-first-in-the-fight/
Explore the history of democracy and protest on a guided tour of People’s History Museum this June.
Sat 3 June & Sat 10 June, 11.00am to 11.45am
Book tickets: https://phm.org.uk/events_new/main-gallery-guided-tour/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=Main%20Gallery%20tours%20
A story of 16 women, a quilt, and a legacy in the history of strikes.
This quilt was made 150 years ago by Martha Smith, one of 16 women arrested in Oxfordshire in 1873, for trying to prevent two strikebreaking farm labourers from working in place of striking agricultural workers.
After a trial, the Ascott Martyrs were convicted and imprisoned with hard labour. The outrage in farming communities was such that large protests were held and Queen Victoria herself granted the women a free pardon. The women’s actions saw picketing made legal in 1874.
Learn more about the Ascott Martyrs and other groundbreaking moments of protest at the next guided tour of PHM’s 2023 Banner Exhibition.
Saturday 17 June, 11.00am: https://phm.org.uk/events_new/2023-banner-exhibition-guided-tours/sat-17-june-2023-11-00am-12-00pm/
Image: Ascott Martyrs quilt, 1873. Image courtesy of People's History Museum.
Ascott Martyrs' Educational Trust
Happy International Museum Day from People’s History Museum! Nestled amongst the ever skyward-growing buildings of Spinningfields, is the home of , telling the stories of ordinary people fighting for their rights.
Image: People's History Museum.
Explore the history of democracy and protest on a guided tour of People’s History Museum 🪧
Main Gallery One, Sat 13 May
Main Gallery Two, Sat 20 May
Book tickets: phm.org.uk/events_new/main-gallery-guided-tour/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=Main+Gallery+tours+
in 1882, and militant suffrage campaigner Sylvia Pankhurst was born.
The Manchester banner, 1908, was created to mark the founding of the Women’s Social and Political by Sylvia’s mother Emmeline Pankhurst.
Explore the banner’s journey to PHM in this video...
The Manchester suffragette banner will be on display at PHM from Wednesday 21 June 2023 for the first time in five years.
Be the first to hear about the special events surrounding the banner when you sign up to our e-newsletter via the PHM Radicals quiz: https://phm.org.uk/radicals-quiz/
Happy May Day! While the traditions of workers marking May Day went further back, in 1889 the first International Workers’ Day was officially proclaimed by the socialist Second International. It was a day of mourning for the Haymarket Martyrs of Chicago.
Today it is an opportunity to celebrate workers and remember our collective power.
Also known as International Workers Day, May Day has been marked with varying degrees of militancy throughout the years. Last year, Dr Shirin Hirsch went in depth on the history of May Day on PHM’s blog: https://bit.ly/40j7LTQ
🖼️: “Flowers for Labour’s May Day” & “A Posy for May Day” by Walter Crane, around 1903.
On this day in 1759, Mary Wollstonecraft was born. The philosopher wrote early feminist text A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792.
Find out if Mary is ‘your radical’ in PHM’s Which Radical are you quiz: https://phm.org.uk/radicals-quiz/
Image: Mary Wollstonecraft by Stewy
17 years ago, this banner was created to convey the need to take care of the world for future generations. One half of the banner is rich with wildlife, the other is a barren wasteland.
Image: Which Tomorrow? Banner by Beryl Clark, 1996.
This banner design and the mottos it uses reflect the militancy of new unions that arose in the 1880s. The banner depicts Hercules wrestling a serpent, which can be seen as him waging 'holy war' against 'Destitution, Prostitution and Exploitation'.
The design was taken from Walter Crane's 'Hercules and the Old Man of the Sea' drawing published in 1892.
The Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Workers Union of Great Britain and Ireland, Dockers Union formed in 1889 after the Great Dock Strike.
Image: Dockers Union Export Branch banner, around 1890
People’s History Museum will be open every day over the Easter bank holiday weekend.
Visit to learn about protests, strikes, and the fight for our rights.
Image: People's History Museum building
On this day in 1920, the National League of the Blind march began.
171 blind workers marched in protest to London’s Trafalgar Square from Manchester, Leeds and Newport. Their action led to the Blind Persons Act 1920.
Their slogan was Justice Not Charity – a sentiment still very much relevant today.
Read more about the National League of the Blind march on the Working Class Movement Library website: https://bit.ly/40qlf0T
Image description: : A red National League of the Blind Tottenham Branch banner which says ‘Justice not Charity’ with small embroidered flowers.
What do British trade unions have to do with the Spanish Civil War? Many unions showed support for Spanish Republicans - this banner shows British printers’ campaign for the government to send arms to the Republicans.
Due to the Non-Intervention Act, no countries were meant to send arms or resources to Spain in support of either side. Demands to arm Spain were repeated throughout the Spanish Civil War, but Britain never broke the Act.
On this day in 1939, the Spanish Civil War ended in Republican defeat.
Image description: A banner which says ‘Printers demand arms for Spain’
From 1800 to 1871, trade unions were illegal or severely restricted. Many unions in the 19th century used stealthy language such as ‘friendly society’ to avoid persecution, such as the creators of the Loyal White Lion Lodge banner (1821), which Virginia examines in this video.
New anti-union laws introduced by the Conservative Party are now in the House of Lords with an that threatens working people’s fundamental right to strike once again.
Find out more about this concerning legislation on the TUC website: https://www.tuc.org.uk/ProtectRightToStrike
At PHM’s Easter Make Your Mark workshops, meet The Manchester Argonaut, roll up your sleeves and have some fun with clay. Inspired by Jason Wilsher-Mills' richly decorated sculpture, children are invited to create clay figures which tell a story.
Choose a date: Wednesday 5 April or Wednesday 12 April, 1.00pm to 3.00pm
Book free tickets: https://phm.org.uk/events_new/make-your-mark/
Make Your Mark is a series of Family Friendly activities at PHM. Express yourself with creative activities, every Wednesday in school holidays.
Image: The Manchester Argonaut by Jason Wilsher-Mills, 2022.
Image description: A colourfully decorated sculpture of a grinning figure with an industrial headpiece and detailed tattoos.
It’s the first day of spring! Can you help us identify any of the flowers on this Country Standard banner from 1980? 💐
Country Standard is a rural journal, published intermittently since 1936, whose content was dominated by the Communist Party of Great Britain.
This beautifully embroidered banner was made by campaigner Phyllis Hood who attended the Royal School of Needlework.
Dockworkers, dirt and dissent!
In this video, Bob from PHM’s Visitor Experience Team tells us more about the Union and Victory banner, 1889, which was used during the Great London Dock Strike.
Earlier this week, we posted PHM visitor Sylvia’s brilliant recreation of this banner.
Betty Tebbs was an activist and peace campaigner who campaigned for causes such as workers’ rights and nuclear disarmament for over 80 years. Funds are being raised for a plaque for Betty Tebbs on the East Lancashire Paper Mill gates in Radcliffe, where her first foray into activism began.
The campaign is about halfway towards its goal of £700. Support by buying the charity single by MSIXSIX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDoNwy0svjg
You can also find out if Betty Tebbs is ‘your radical’ by taking the Which Radical are You? personality quiz: phm.org.uk/radicals-quiz
Black women played a significant role in the Anti-Apartheid movement, fighting both racial and gender-based oppression. However, when the African National Congress formed in 1912, it did not accept women as members.
The African National Congress Women’s League formed in 1943. Some of their work included boycott campaigns, mobilising funds and campaigns to free female political prisoners, and working towards roles in policy-making.
Read more about global women’s movements in our blog by PHM Collections Officer Shivaya Prasad: https://bit.ly/3yqoXLS
Image: Women Unite for People’s Power poster, by the African National Congress, 1984
134 years of collective action stands between these two banners.
Inspired by the Union and Victory banner (1889) in PHM’s collection, visitor Sylvia created her own version for a Leicester NEU rally during the Teachers' Strike. Incredible 🤩
The original banner was made for the Great London Dock Strike of 1889, in which 130,000 workers successfully walked out in protest over exploitative conditions. They achieved their main demand of a living wage.
Image 1: Union and Victory banner recreation carried at a teachers' strike in Leicester, 2023. Image courtesy of Sylvia McNeill.
Image 2: Union and Victory banner, 1889. Image courtesy of People’s History Museum.
Tomorrow, on the day of the Spring Budget, 500,000 workers are set to strike for better working conditions.
Union banners tell a story of over 200 years of workers’ action.
Image: Ipswich Dockers Union banner, back, around 1890. Image courtesy of PHM.
[Image description: A banner in which a dock worker and a man in a top hat and tails shake hands, over them presides an angel holding a ribbon which says ‘May they ever be united.’ The slogan at the top says ‘Justice to the toilers’.]
PHM’s landmark exhibition Nothing About Us Without Us and its supporting programme has been shortlisted as Community Engagement Programme of the Year at the Museum + Heritage Awards! 🎉
This exhibition would not have been possible without the incredible efforts of the entire PHM team, the Community Curators (Alison Wilde, Anis Akhtar, Hannah Ross and Ruth Malkin), the steering group and all those who have contributed their stories and experiences. Thank you!
Full statement: https://phm.org.uk/phm-story/statements-and-responses/
Image: Nothing About Us Without Us exhibition at People’s History Museum.
What are the origins of ? And how can we use this day to not only celebrate women, but call for liberation & equality?
In this , PHM Collections Officer Shivaya Prasad, explores the importance of women’s movements globally through PHM's poster collection: https://phm.org.uk/blogposts/international-womens-day-posters-for-female-liberation/
Image: Fempress poster, by Pescina, around 1980s
Image description: A yellow poster with an illustration of three Chilean women sat in a circle, above them is written fempress.
This June, the iconic Manchester suffragette banner (1908) will celebrate its 115th birthday by going on display at People's History Museum.
The banner is a reminder that the Women’s Social and Political Union was started by Emmeline Pankhurst in in 1903, before moving its headquarters to London.
The Manchester suffragette banner is particularly vulnerable to light degradation and must be kept in protective conditions, making this rare opportunity to see the banner on display especially exciting.
See the banner at PHM from Wednesday 21 June 2023.
Where do you fit amongst our ? Take the PHM personality quiz to find your match: https://bit.ly/3butC1l
There is an option at the end to sign up to our e-newsletter, for regular PHM updates and content straight to your inbox.
What better way to celebrate the start of than with this beautiful banner by Sisters of Frida?
Sisters of Frida is an experimental collective of disabled women, taking their name from disabled artist Frida Kahlo. Exploring shared experiences and intersectional ‘possibilities’ is at the heart of the group’s ethos: ‘We are disabled women but that is not our only identity’.
Sisters of Frida banner, 2018, is on loan from Sisters of Frida as part of PHM’s Nothing About Us Without Us exhibition until October 2023.
Image description: A purple banner with the words ‘Sisters of Frida Hear Our Voices!’. The banner features detailed applique textile elements such as a hummingbird, leaves and flowers.
On this day in 1788, radical reformer, writer and Peterloo leader Samuel Bamford was born. He led the march from Rochdale and Middleton to St Peter’s Field in Manchester on 16 August 1819. He was prosecuted and sentenced to 12 months in jail for attending and speaking at Peterloo.
Amongst his famous radical writings are his account of the Peterloo Massacre, radical poems in the Lancashire dialect, and Passages in the Life of a Radical which examined the conditions of working class life in 19th century England.
Read more about Bamford’s life and legacy: https://bit.ly/3JNAjgj
Image: Samuel Bamford painting, date unknown, courtesy of Rochdale Arts & Heritage
Today marks the centenary of the birth of activist Harry Leslie Smith. Given the title of ‘the world’s oldest rebel’, he campaigned for the NHS and refugees into his 90s. Having lived through the Great Depression and served during World War II, Harry saw first-hand the “preventable tragedies”, the power of humanity and the things that he thought we should all treasure.
In 2019 Harry’s son John donated to PHM the leather jacket that Harry wore throughout his five year long Harry's Last Stand tour which was spent visiting refugee camps.
In this blog, PHM’s Collections Manager Sam Jenkins explores his story and the iconic jacket which is now part of PHM’s collection: phm.org.uk/blogposts/standing-with-harry-the-worlds-oldest-rebel
Image 1: John Max Smith with Collections Manager Sam Jenkins in 2019 with Leather jacket worn by campaigner Harry Leslie Smith. Image courtesy of People’s History Museum.
Left Bank, Spinningfields
Manchester
M33ER
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| Wednesday | 10am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 10am - 5pm |
| Friday | 10am - 5pm |
| Saturday | 10am - 5pm |
| Sunday | 10am - 5pm |
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UK Parliament Week is a celebration of people taking action and making an impact on the issues they care about. The Longest Act, on loan from UK Parliamentary Archives, shows how local people got involved in national politics even before the majority had the right to vote. See The Longest Act on display in Main Gallery One until 5 December 2021. People’s History Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10.00am to 4.00pm. #UKPW
The Longest Act will be celebrating its 200th birthday in People’s History Museum thanks to a loan from UK Parliamentary Archives. This is the first time it has been displayed outside of parliament. Unrolled, the Land Tax Commissioners’ Act 1821 is longer than three football fields and can take two people a whole day to unroll. Its length was necessary to capture the names of the 65,000 local Commissioners who would collect the tax on land, property and personal property up to 1963. See The Longest Act on display in the People's History Museum main galleries until 5 December 2021. We are open 10am-4pm on Wednesday to Sunday. Register to visit now: https://bit.ly/3lMkz2Q
A proud history of protest has shaped a better world today. The #policingbill is likely to silence marginalised voices fighting for change. Watch our video about why we are joining those urging the government to reconsider their approach to this bill #IdeasWorthFightingFor Join us in defending the right to protest by signing the Liberty petition to stop the #policingbill here: https://action.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/page/78339/petition/1
Join singer-songwriter Matt Hill on Saturday, 03 July at 11am for an interactive online performance full of toe-tapping tunes from times of change, in My First Protest Song. This is a Family Friendly activity, suitable for babies, tots and grown-ups. Click the link to book your spot to come make some noise and sing some songs! ➡ https://bit.ly/3h1N5w5 Play an instrument? Bring it along, or why not have a go at making your own out of items found around the home. Limited Spaces - Booking required via Eventbrite ➡ https://bit.ly/3h1N5w5
This short film is a collaboration between The Jo Cox Foundation and members of the More in Common Network. It explains what the More in Common Network is, what More in Common groups do, and calls on ordinary people to get involved in the movement. Interested in being a part of The More in Common Network? Register your interest here https://bit.ly/3gAc0qF The More in Common: in memory of Jo Cox exhibition will be on display at People’s History Museum until 24 April 2022. Click the link to register to visit! ➡ https://bit.ly/2U9t5yQ We’re open from Wed to Sun, 10.00am to 4.00pm and the museum is free to visit with a suggested donation of £5. #JoCox #MoreinCommon #IdeasWorthFightingFor #IdeasWorthExploring #IdeasWorthSharing
What better way to start the weekend than with some music?? Join us on Saturday morning for some toe tapping tunes from times of change in My First Protest Song Sat 5 June, 11.00am - 11.40am Book now via the link >>> fb.me/e/1tuyfqfX6 #KidsMusic #KidsActivities
#FamilyFriendly museum seeking feedback
Find out how we are keeping you safe and plan your visit today. #FindYourSpaceMCR #GoodToGo
📅Open from Tues 1 September ⏰Open Tues to Sun, 10am-5pm 🖥️ Register to visit from 18 Aug ⬇️New safety measures in place
We’re so happy to be welcoming visitors back to the museum again. Register for your visit to the national museum of democracy today: phm.org.uk/visit #FindYourSpaceMCR #NationalLottery #ThanksToYou
Inspiration: In Damascus 2011, protesters released hundreds of ping pong balls down a street near the home of President Assad Challenge#3 - video and share your most creative way to get a ball from A to B! #playfulprotest #MuseumFromHome #playfulmuseum
Inspiration: In Quebec 2001, protesters used a giant catapult to launch soft toys at a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) summit Challenge #2 - create and share with us a video of your best soft toy catapult! #playfulprotest #MuseumFromHome #playfulmuseum
The Salford Restoration Office
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Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester
Boyle Street
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