Great for kids to learn about the roman settlement in Ribchster and that is was the HQ for the…read morenorth of England. There are some ruins here of Roman Baths and it is interesting to explore them. the river is ajacent to the museum and the views accross to pendle hill are fab.

I love to visit museums to go back in history. The Ribchester Roman Museum was a great experience…read morebringing back ancient Rome to me. It is a visual treat for everyone.

Interesting museum showing history of Leyland trucks and commercial vehicles.read more

Excelent museum run by enthusiasts and retired truckers with stories galore. There is a good…read morearchive and many exhibits from the earliest days to modern commercial vehicles. Well worth a visit. Parking is free outside, and there are many cafes, supermkts,shops etc. in Leyland town centre next to it.

Gawthorpe Hall is an Elizabethan stately home with extensive grounds on the outskirts of Burnley,…read morenow in the care of the National Trust in partnership with Lancashire County Council. It is well worth visiting if you are in the area. The origins of the building lie with the Shuttleworth family, who had owned a nearby manor since the 12th century. They erected a "pele" or "peel tower", a simple but strong defensive structure to defend against incursions by the Scots. In 1600, Richard Shuttleworth began building a new hall, using the original tower as its core (it now forms the staircase). The architect was reputedly Robert Smythson, better known for houses such as Longleat and Hardwick Hall. In 1849, Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth commisioned Sir Charles Barry (the architect behind the Houses of Parliament) to restore the house and add modern amenities. The present house is therefore a blend of 17th and 19th century elements. The exterior is an impressive example of an Elizabethan hall, marking the transition from Gothic to Renaissance architecture. The main areas of interest inside are the dining room and drawing room on the ground floor, and the Elizabethan long gallery upstairs. These are largely in their original form, with the drawing room and gallery retaining impressive 17th century panelling, fireplaces, ceilings and friezes. The bedrooms also have some original furnishings, including an impressive Elizabethan four-poster bed. The rooms and hall are home to paintings on loan from the National Portrait Gallery from the 16th-18th centuries - the largest such collection in the north west of England. The house also contains a selection of the extensive historic textile collection of Miss Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth. These are displayed museum-style, alongside changing exhibitions. The hall is set in extensive grounds, with lovely views down to the River Calder. The extensive outbuildings include an impressive barn and farmhouse, both contemporaneous with the house, although they are not normally open to the public. There is a tea-room - check website for opening times, which vary through the year. The house is open Wednesday-Saturday. There are 4 steps up to the entrance and thereafter level access to the ground floor rooms only: the staircase to the upper floors is narrow - large bags and pushchairs need to be folded and lodged at reception. Light levels are kept low to preserve the fabric of the building; large print and braille guides are available. The reception in the house has a small retail area selling guides and souvenirs. The grounds at Gawthorpe Hall are open every day. There are toilets (including a disabled toilet) in the outbuildings and a large free car park.

A good atmosphere for studing/working on things when your out in nature. You can also fish on the…read moreriver and explore there is a lot to do here

A fascinating perspective on the contributions by the people of the Manchester area to major…read moreinnovations in science and industry throughout history. Numerous displays and examples of equipment and machinery large and small. Steam engines to electron microscopes on display, with emphasis on Manchester's relationship with the cotton industry, both good and bad. Something for everyone here, young and old. Free to enter, donations appreciated. Reservations will make sure that you don't need to wait for entry. A must-see if you are in the area.

Fantastic place for families with children! Adults can enjoy the many exhibits while young ones can…read moreenjoy the hands on displays. We liked watching the textile demonstration in the Textile area. This place has so much to see and do. And it's free! Contributions are gladly accepted to keep this fabulous museum operational.

Very interactive and interesting exhibits…read more FREE admission will get you into 90% of the actual museum. Variety of exhibits so it has a little something for everybody. The first floor was the Dive In! Aquarium. It had a very nice anemone tank and a variety of other tanks that had sea life. The second floor is the Bug space, and the beginning of the Natural History space. Both are very interactive and have plenty of kid friendly space. The Return of the Gods exhibit (which costs 8 GBP to visit) was on the third floor, but you could also see what I thought was the most interesting part of the museum which was the World Culture exhibit. The exhibits themselves are nice, but this museum has a novel approach to explaining how Liverpool got its items. Comedian Daliso Chaponda was narrating the process of how the museum procured the majority of its items through good ole colonization (kidding, not kidding). He brings to light the appropriation process through comedic discussion, novel and palatable. The 3rd floor also has the Egyptian Exhibit, which is very good. It's probably the jewel of the museum. The history of the pieces are well explained, and the mummies are displayed wonderfully, some in layers, some in narrative, and plenty of interactivity for the little ones. I didn't spend much time on the fourth floor (Dinosaurs) or fifth floor (Planetarium/Space). The fifth floor wasn't as impressive, but gave those genre's some space for those that are interested. It was the meh portions of the museum. If you have a few hours to burn, consider this museum a good choice for kids of all ages and interests.

Visited the museum especially to see the current special exhibition on the Chinese terracotta army…read morewhich was well worth the cost of the tickets. The building contains a large cafe on the ground floor that was well stocked with good quality food and deserts, this area also has access to free Wi-Fi. The next floor has the Aquarium and treasure house theater. The 2nd (3rd in US) floor has the special exhibition and the Bug House. Next floor contains World Cultures, Ancient Egypt and Western Discovery Center (only open weekends & school holidays. 4th floor holds Dinosaurs, Endangered Planet and Clore Natural History Center. Finally the 5th floor holds exhibits on Space and Time along with a Planetarium - tickets needed from the information desk on the ground floor. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful and could not be more accommodating, well worth the visit. I should also add the this museum is free except for the special exhibit which needs tickets purchased either online or at the entrance with limited time slots available each day.

Bowling Hall is a large museum in a medieval building, it is set in a leafy garden with a large…read morepark across the road. It was a stronghold in the 'siege of Bradford' and where a ghost requested that we 'pity poor Bradford'! The exhibits are quite 'traditional', but this doesn't detract from the charm of the museum, in fact quite often you can be the only people in the attraction which gives it a certain atmosphere, especially when you are wandering around the haunted rooms! The museum is large enough to while away an hour, but not too big that it would be boring for younger visitors. The promise of a play in the park and an icecream should keep them quiet and on their best behaviour too - the park opposite the museum is large and well kept and has something for everyone.

This is a lovely old house situated in the Bradford 4 area…read more The ground floor where you enter is slighlty darker than the rest and can frighten some younger children. There is many things on show, that can teach young children and older children about how people used is to live. This place is said to be haunted and appeared on most haunted. It has different events happening through out the years and is a good place to vist.

Ah, the Atkinson. Again, just another Southport landmark full of childhood memories for myself…read more Yep, my father used to bring me here regularly to ensure I had a lovely cultural upbringing, and it's a marvellous gallery housed in a terrific building right in the centre of the seaside town itself, opposite Lord Street and the band stand. Admission is free but donations are encouraged as every gift helps, no matter how small. And once you've walked around this spectacular yet strangely humble gallery you'd have to have a heart of ice not to want to give a little something. It has a varied and rather extensive collection, ranging from LS Lowry to John Piper, John Collier to Ernest Normand and many more. The Friends of the Atkinson Gallery are an organisation which helps to drum up even more interest for the gallery. It's currently closed for refurbishments but plans to reopen bigger and better than ever as part of a Southport cultural overhaul, so get involved as it's bound to increase in popularity after its makeover. Southport might not quite rival Brighton yet in the seaside artsy stakes, but it's getting there, and with the help of the Atkinson it'll get there a lot faster!

This is now an entertainment/cultural centre, with the art gallery, an auditorium, civic hall and…read morebotanic museum all within the grade 2 listed building. The entrance/foyer is welcoming and strikingly clean - statuary and paintings being the first things I saw. The bookings and information desks are unobtrusive, yet easy to find as the signage throughout is very clear. There are interesting display cases throughout. Up the impressive staircase are the toilets, the superb but expensive bar and the entrances to the auditorium. As I was there for a music concert, this is the area I saw best. A superb setting for Fairport Convention as they attract a fair number of fans, yet like to connect with their audience as intimately as possible. The seating was comfortable and gave us all a good view of the band. The sound was just superb.

Towneley hall in Burnley is the most wonderful building set in the best grounds in the local area…read more Set a day aside to look into the history of the hall which was once the home of the Towneley family of Burnley. To this day you can still see the original kitchens and bedrooms, as well as the art gallery. well worth a visit and usually there will be another exhibition running within the hall. Outside the grounds are beautifully kept and on a nice afternoon are a joy to stroll around. for weddings and events you would struggle to better this venue.

Towneley Hall has to be the jewel in Burnley Borough Councils Crown.At the centre of the extensive…read moregrounds is an Elizabethan Mansion.It was originally the country home of the Towneley Family.The house has been kept in its original victorian state that the council purchased it from the family in.It is open to the public from 10am most days and whilst free to residents of the borough there is a nominal charge to visitors from other areas. The grounds surrounding the Hall provide many gentle and enjoyable walks and one of which is the sculpture trail which is well worth a look. The old stables is home to a very good cafe/restaurant and has plenty of seating both indoors and outdoors

This is a very impressive museum full of artifacts and exhibits. We loved everything about this…read moremuseum and the best part was the entrance is free! They have artifacts from Egypt, Africa, and many locations. They have quite a bit of wild animal exhibits representing the different species in the UK. They have a nice cafe to sit and rest also. They have a lift. I definitely recommend this museum. So nice and so much to see.

Imagine it is 150 years ago, and you are a rich, white English dude. You travel the world and…read moresimply help yourself to whatever catches the fancy of your magpie little brain. You plunder flora and fauna, antiquities, important cultural objects from other peoples. You compete with other rich, white dudes to create the biggest collection of the most random things someone could think of. "I have one of every butterfly on each of the inhabited continents!" "Oh yeah, my stuffed 2-toed sloth is bigger than yours!" Fast forward to the present, and the current caretakers of this hodgepodge of objects of dubious provenance are tasked with creating cohesive exhibits for the public. There are some really interesting pieces in the museum. I was able to hold a 2,000 year-old carved stone perfum vial. See the cross section of a turtle skeleton (so cool how the spines follow the inner curve of the shell), admire a stuffed porcupine. It was fascinating to think about what caught the fancy of people in the past. I would have loved to have seen more discussion of how these objects came to be, and what that tells us about classism, racism, and the history of imperialism. Be that as it may, I'm glad to see that someone's past light fingeredness is at least entertaining and educating the public today, instead of collecting dust in a storage facility somewhere.