Half term events at Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Gemma Gibb, Associate Editor
One of our top museums for families, the highlight of Salford Museum and Art Gallery (which opened in 1850 as the Royal Museum and Public Library) is the atmospheric Victorian street installation Lark Hill Place.
Created from many original shop fonts and set at dusk, Lark Hill has such a haunting atmosphere that even the coolest of kids (and grown-ups) will want to explore the street which is full of authentic interiors and curiosities. The shops and houses include a toy shop, music shop, chemist, pub, artisan’s cottage and the printers of the local paper The Salford Reporter.
Don a costume, take part in japes such as Victorian washday demonstrations and get involved in regular free theatrical tours including the chance to meet Mr Radcliffe who owns the toy shop (and play with Victorian toys), and Mrs Tomlinson ( the general store proprietor who may or may not give you sweets).
Brilliant to visit come rain or shine with the vast grasslands of Peel Park on the doorstep, permanent collections, changing exhibitions and welcoming café and shop (which famously sells slates as “Victorian ipads”), we love that this place is such an important part of our history. Said to be the first free public library in England, it is still operating in the same pioneering spirit with its rich mix of free access to history and culture galore today.
