Museum of Liverpool

The Museum of Liverpool stands on Mann Island at the Pier Head, a modern building designed by architects 3XN and engineers Buro Happold. It replaced the former Museum of Liverpool Life and opened to the public in June 2011. The £72 million structure provides 8,000 square metres of flexible exhibition space. More than 6,000 objects from the city’s past are housed inside. In December 2021 it hosted the G7 summit of foreign ministers. Four main themes guide the displays: The Great Port, Global City, People’s Republic, and Wondrous Place. The ground floor examines Liverpool’s urban and technological evolution, including the Industrial Revolution and changes in the British Empire. The upper floor explores the city’s social history from Neolithic times to today, covering migration and cultural diversity. Little Liverpool offers a gallery for children under six, while History Detectives provides an interactive archaeology centre. A 180-seat theatre hosts community performances and meetings, and the City Soldiers gallery tells the story of the King’s Regiment. Steam locomotive Lion, famous from the film The Titfield Thunderbolt, was moved from Manchester to the museum in 2007. Exhibits draw from costume, decorative art, botanical collections and oral testimonies. In 2012 the Liverpool Love exhibition featured personalities such as Yoko Ono and Sir Peter Blake celebrating the city.