Imperial War Museum North | Manchester

Information

Landmark: Imperial War Museum North
City: Manchester
Country: United Kingdom
Continent: Europe

Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, United Kingdom, Europe

IWM North (Imperial War Museum North) is a museum of modern war located at The Quays on Trafford Wharf Road in Trafford Park, Manchester, United Kingdom. It is one of five branches of the Imperial War Museum and the first to be located in the North of England.

Visual Characteristics

The building is a prime example of Deconstructivist architecture, designed to represent a globe shattered by conflict and reassembled. It consists of three interlocking "shards": the Air Shard (a 55-meter-high open vertical tower), the Earth Shard (housing the museum galleries), and the Water Shard (overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal). The exterior is clad in aluminum, and the interior features sloping floors and sharp angles intended to create a sense of disorientation for the visitor.

Location & Access Logistics

The museum is situated on the south bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, opposite MediaCityUK.

Public Transport: The Imperial War Museum Metrolink stop is located 0.2km away on the Trafford Park Line. Alternatively, the MediaCityUK stop is 0.5km away via the Lowry Footbridge.

Road: Accessible via the M602 and Trafford Road (A5063).

Parking: A dedicated pay-and-display car park is located on-site with 160 spaces, including Blue Badge parking.

Historical & Ecological Origin

Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, the museum opened to the public on July 5, 2002. It was constructed on the site of a former grain elevator that had been destroyed during the Manchester Blitz in 1940. The structural concept was based on a 21st-century interpretation of the effects of global war on the physical landscape.

Key Highlights & Activities

The main exhibition space features "The Big Picture Show," a 360-degree immersive audio-visual projection that runs every hour on the gallery walls. Key artifacts on display include a Russian T-34 tank, a British AV-8B Harrier jet, and a twisted steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks. Visitors may ascend the Air Shard viewing platform for elevated perspectives of the city.

Infrastructure & Amenities

The facility includes a ground-floor café overlooking the canal, a museum shop, and accessible restrooms. 5G cellular coverage is strong throughout the Salford Quays area. The building is fully accessible via ramps and elevators, and manual wheelchairs are available at the information desk. Lockers are provided for bags and coats near the entrance.

Best Time to Visit

The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00. To experience the "Big Picture Show" without peak crowds, visit on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings. For architectural photography, the silver aluminum cladding is best captured during the "golden hour" before sunset when the light reflects off the Manchester Ship Canal.

Facts & Legends

A unique design feature is that none of the walls in the main gallery are vertical, and the floor has a slight curvature to mimic the surface of the earth. A verified historical oddity is that the first gun fired by the British Army in the First World War is part of the permanent collection housed within the building.