The free Greater Manchester museum with a 'superb' secret
One visitor described it as 'fantastic' and ' definitely worth a visit'
With the Easter holidays parents will be looking for family-friendly activities to do with the kids. After the glorious sunshine of recent weeks, the weather has taken a turn which rules out trips to parks and playgrounds.
Luckily there’s no shortage of things to do with the kids across Greater Manchester, and a visit to one of our fascinating museums is the perfect way to spend a rainy day.
From the history of policing to football, we’ve got a museum to cover nearly every topic. In Salford you’ll even find one which has a 'secret' Victorian street.
Located on the Crescent, overlooking Peel Park, is Salford Museum and Art Gallery, an impressive red-brick building with spacious galleries housing paintings, sculptures and artwork.
But one of the highlights of the museum is Lark Hill Place, an authentic recreation of a Victorian street.
It features life-size original shop fronts and really feels as if you’ve stepped back in time. There are dozens of objects which transport you back to life in Salford from many years ago.
Visitors can peek through the shop windows, each one inspired by a real-life business. There’s a corner shop, a tobacconist, dressmaker, and even a shop for bleeding with leeches - which you definitely wouldn’t find on a modern high street.
The lighting is purposefully kept low in Lark Hill Place to protect the objects from damage, but it helps to add to the atmosphere with model gas lamps providing illumination.
The street is named after the mansion house built on the site of the museum by James Ackers in around the 18th or 19th centuries.
The estate was purchased by public subscription for a park in 1846 and the building opened as England’s first free public library in 1850. It later developed into a museum and art gallery.
But in 1935 the original Georgian mansion was found unsafe and it was demolished and replaced with the current wing. During the 1940s the City Council began clearing Salford’s slum terraces and in 1955 the museum re-created a small street from salvaged features from houses and shops that would have otherwise been demolished. This then became Lark Hill Place.
Salford Museum and Art Gallery has amassed dozens of five-star reviews on Tripadvisor, but the Larke Hill Place exhibit is definitely a highlight for many.
Reviewer TheKJD described the museum as a “real gem” and wrote: “This is a fantastic place…the Victorian street is just superb. I had my fortune told on an old machine, that was fun. The other shops were great to look at.”
Tripadvisor reviewer Emily said: “Lovely museum to visit. The Lark Hill exhibition is simply fantastic and definitely worth a visit.”
Salford Museum and Art Gallery is free to visit although donations are welcome. It’s open Tuesday - Friday 9.30am to 4pm, and Saturday-Sunday 11.30am to 4pm. It is closed Mondays and on bank holidays.
There is a small car park in front of the museum which starts from £2.50 for up to three hours. Salford Crescent train station is only a two minute walk away.
Salford Museum & Art Gallery, Peel Park, The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WU