An Overview of the People’s History Museum (PHM)

The People’s History Museum (PHM) is in Manchester and is the national museum of democracy, telling the story of its development in Britain: past, present, and future.

Key Facts About PHM

• Attracts over 125,000 visitors a year
• Contains 1,384 square metres of exhibition space
• Displays almost 1,500 historic objects
• One of only two national museums in Manchester city centre
• The first public building in Britain to be built with an extraordinary Corten metal shell
• Displays the largest number of trade union and other banners in the world
• Allows visitors to see behind the scenes into Britain’s only conservation studio dedicated to the preservation of banners
• Houses a unique archive containing the collections of the Labour Party, the Communist Party of Great Britain and much more
• Offers an inspiring Learning Programme for all ages, from pre-school to adult learners
• Has a dedicated Community Gallery open to individuals and groups to display their own exhibitions
• Holds an exciting programme of public events throughout the year including tours, talks and performances
• Continues to attract a higher proportion of foreign visitors than any other museum in the city
• Has high quality spaces available to hire for meetings and events including the magnificent Engine Hall and the stunning Coal Store Conference Room
• Has a gift shop selling a unique range of books, homeware and souvenirs based on the museum’s outstanding collections
• Houses The Left Bank cafe bar, with the sunniest riverside terrace in the city!
• Celebrates the stories of the radical thinkers whose big ideas have shaped our society, and invites you to Join the Radicals

Key Timeline

1960s

A group of activists, including the Trade Union Labour and Co-operative History Society (TULC), begin to collect historical campaign materials about the rights of working people.

1975

The National Museum of Labour History (NMLH) is opened by Prime Minister Harold Wilson in Limehouse Town Hall in Tower Hamlets, London. The collection on display to the public includes writer and political activist Thomas Paine’s (1737–1809) desk and banners that would go on to form what would become the largest collection of political and trade union banners in the world.

1980–1984

The museum rescues material that would simply have been lost otherwise. The museum also acquires the complete collection from prominent activist Walter Southgate (1890–1986). This sees the museum grow from one room in Limehouse Town Hall to the entire building.

1988

The museum’s future is threatened by a lack of funding, the collection is rescued by Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester authorities, with the help of the Trades Union Congress (TUC). The move to Manchester begins.

February 1989

Director Dr Nick Mansfield is appointed and builds up a team of qualified staff, and the existing collection begins to be properly catalogued and conserved.

May 1990

After challenging work to fund the move from London and catalogue the collection, The National Museum of Labour History opens in its new location on Princess Street in central Manchester, in the building where the first meeting of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) took place over one hundred years earlier.

A series of changing exhibitions begins, with partners including the Musicians’ Union and the Professional Footballers’ Association.

1991

The museum is awarded national registration, under a recently introduced Museum Registration scheme.

1 February 2002

The museum announces a new name: People’s History Museum (PHM) ahead of the XVII Commonwealth Games in Manchester (summer 2002). The museum’s changing exhibition programme becomes more diverse with a focus on cultural diversity and social inclusion became part of the Commonwealth Games’ legacy.

9 August 2005

Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown MP announces PHM is to become one of the national museums that is free to enter.

25 January 2006

Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) agrees to support the museum’s proposed ‘one site’ project — to bring all of the museum’s activities, services, operations and staff onto one site.

27 April 2007

Songwriter and political activist Billy Bragg opens the last changing exhibition, Battle for the Ballot — the struggle for the vote in Britain, before the museum closes for redevelopment.

30 May 2011

PHM’s first wedding ceremony takes place with the reception held in the Engine Hall.

1 November 2012

PHM’s first same sex civil partnership ceremony is held at the museum.

2013–2014

PHM welcomes a record breaking 100,000 visitors. Donations, Venue Hire bookings and shop sales soar.

2 March 2017

Actor and activist Ian McKellen opens the exhibition Never Going Underground: The Fight for LGBT+ Rights.

This marks 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexual acts in England and Wales (1967 Sexual Offences Act) and is the first time that the museum takes a theme-led approach to its programming. Throughout 2017 events, talks, community projects and learning sessions explore the LGBT+ movement and the museum continues to grow its collection to better represent LGBT+ stories.

August 2017

With the support of a crowdfunding campaign, the museum acquires the Manchester suffragette banner (1908), which becomes one of the most iconic pieces in its collection.

13 February 2020

PHM marks the 10th anniversary of its current building with a party, a live music event and open house celebration. Salena Godden’s poem Pessimism is for Lightweights is unveiled as a new permanent feature. The museum’s Impact Report is published on the story and results of PHM’s work over the last ten years.

19 March 2020

Like museums across the UK, PHM closes its doors to the public, staff and volunteers due to the impact Covid-19 is having across the world. The existing programme of events and activities to engage people with the museum, its galleries, collections and archives is transformed into a series of digital activities, with Ideas Worth Exploring being PHM’s creative solution during lockdown.

8 June 2020

PHM extends its programme of contemporary collecting to enable it to reflect some of the key events taking place during 2020: Covid-19 and #BlackLivesMatter.

1 September 2020

After being closed for over five months the national museum of democracy reopens with a continuation of the headline theme, exploring migration.

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