Inspired by the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, we travelled by train to England in March. Combining ESC host city Liverpool with the industrial heritage of Manchester. Manchester to Liverpool was also the first steam railway line ever. A perfect pretext to travel to The North.

The People’s History Museum is a museum in that focuses on the history of working people in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1987 under the name the National Museum of Labour History (until 2001) and moved to its current location, a restored Edwardian pumping station, in 1994.

1987 is the hight of Thatcherism. Then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Conservatives) fought the trade unions virulently. Creating a museum about the labour force struggles makes sense in that context. 

The museum’s collection includes a wide variety of artifacts, documents, and artworks related to the struggles of ordinary people for democracy, equality, and social justice. Exhibits cover topics such as the Peterloo Massacre of 1819, the suffragette movement, the rise of trade unions, the struggles of working-class communities, and the history of political activism and protest in Britain.

The museum also hosts a range of temporary exhibitions, events, and educational programs, and offers resources for researchers and students interested in the history of social movements and popular struggles. 

The People’s History Museum is an important institution in Manchester and a unique resource for anyone interested in the history of the working-class movement in Great Britain.

A visit

Being in The North and in an industry city, Manchester hosting the People’s History Museum absolutely makes sense. The exhibition area isn’t huge but comprehensive. A large mural sums up the evolution of the legal position of commoners in England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom. 

The People’s History Museum touches subjects you usually don’t find in other museums.

The temporary exhibition showcased the movement for people with disabilities. 

Allow 1.5 to 2 hours. 

Liverpool & Manchester 2023

1. BEHIND THE SCENES | Gustaph and ‘Because Of You’ to represent Belgium at 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool.
2. REVIEW | Avanti West Coast Lounge London Euston station.
3. REVIEW | London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street on Avanti West Coast’s pride train.
4. LIVERPOOL | 2023 Eurovision Song Contest venues & locations: arena, fan village, EuroClub, EUROfansCLUB.
5. A visit to the Museum of Liverpool.
6. LIVERPOOL | Merseyside Maritime Museum ft. Piermaster’s House, Border Force National Museum and International Slavery Museum.
7. LIVERPOOL | Western Approaches / Liverpool War Museum.
8. REVIEW | Radisson Red Liverpool.
9. Discovering Liverpool.
10. Liverpool to Manchester on the very first – 1830 – railway line.
11. MANCHESTER | Imperial War Museum North (IWM North).
12. Manchester’s gaybourhood around Canal Street.
13. REVIEW | Radisson Collection The Edwardian Manchester.
14. MANCHESTER | Science + Industry Museum.