Western Approaches Museum

The Western Approaches Museum stands in Liverpool, inside the restored Second World War command centre that once directed the Battle of the Atlantic. The building once housed Western Approaches Command, which coordinated convoys and fought German U-boats. The museum now reopens the rooms where officers tracked ships and plotted routes. Artefacts from the war period fill the spaces, showing how the centre operated daily. A tour leads through the Central Operations room, the cypher room and other key areas. The site is worth visiting for its direct link to Winston Churchill, who watched secret films on the original Gaumont Kalee Dragon projector still on display. The museum also explores the Arctic convoys and the women of the WRNS who served there. Bill Davies’ Walton Group saved the building in the 1980s and reopened it in 1993. Since 2017 Big Heritage has run the museum, uncovering parts closed since the 1960s. Plans include taking charge of the German U-boat U-534 and building a new visitor facility by 2026. Visitors find a wartime street scene, a recreated NAAFI canteen and a community classroom inside the museum. The restored operations room shows how convoys were tracked across the Atlantic. Artefacts from the period include signals, maps and equipment used by staff. The museum’s exhibitions bring together stories of shared history and naval service. Outside, Exchange Flags provides space for events and displays. The building itself remains a working example of wartime organisation and memory.