Cheshire Archives and Libraries

Cheshire Archive and Local Studies
Cheshire Archive and Local Studies Duke Street Chester, Cheshire CH1 1RL UK Telephone: 1244 972574 Email: [mailto:recordoffice@cheshiresharedservices.gov.uk recordoffice@cheshiresharedservices.gov.uk] Website: Cheshire Archive and Local Studies


 * Cheshire Archives and Local Studies collects, protects and promotes interest in and the use of records and printed material relating to the historic county of Cheshire. Visit the Search and Shop page to learn about the free databases offered on the website.

Birkenhead Central Library
Birkenhead Central Library Borough Road Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 2XB UK Telephone: 0151 606 2665 Email: [mailto:birkenheadreference@wirral.gov.uk birkenheadreference@wirral.gov.uk] Website: Birkenhead Central Library

Macclesfield Museums
Paradise Mill Park Lane Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 6TJ UK Telephone: 01625 612045 Email: [mailto:info@silkmacclesfield.org.uk info@silkmacclesfield.org.uk] Website: Paradise Mill


 * Paradise Mill takes you back in time to Macclesfield of the early 20th century, with the only working Jacquard silk hand looms in the country in their original location, offering the experience of what it would have been like to be a Macclesfield mill worker.

The Old Sunday School Roe Street Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 6UT UK Telephone: 01625 613210 Email: [mailto:info@silkmacclesfield.org.uk info@silkmacclesfield.org.uk] Website: The Old Sunday School


 * In the 18th and 19th century many of the children in Macclesfield would have been working in the silk mills from the age of 6 years, and Sunday School would have been their only chance for education. It provided the main opportunity for children to learn reading and writing, as well as scripture.  The Large Sunday School was established by John Whitaker, a local Alderman and Magistrate.  His aim was to teach religious knowledge and learning to the ‘lower classes of society’; ‘to lessen the sum of human wretchedness’.

The Silk Museum Park Lane Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 6TJ UK Telephone: 01625 612045 Email: [mailto:info@silkmacclesfield.org.uk info@silkmacclesfield.org.uk] Website: The Silk Museum


 * The Silk Museum is housed in the original School of Art built in 1879 with land and funding granted by the council and public subscriptions. The School had been founded in 1851 and initially used rented rooms in the Useful Knowledge Society building.  Its original aim was to educate practical designers for the manufacture of silk, but later it went on to offer more general art education and gained a reputation for producing high quality work.

West Park Museum Prestbury Road Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 3BJ UK Telephone: 01625 665010 Email: [mailto:info@silkmacclesfield.org.uk info@silkmacclesfield.org.uk] Website: West Park Museum


 * West Park Museum is a small but beautifully formed collection of the surprising and unusual. The museum was the idea of Marianne Brocklehurst, the daughter of Macclesfield’s first MP and silk manufacturer John Brocklehurst.  Today it contains her collection of Egyptian artefacts, along with fine art and local history.

National Waterways Museum
National Waterways Museum South Pier Road Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 4FW UK Telephone: 0151 355 5017 Email: [mailto:ellesmereport@thewaterwaystrust.org.uk ellesmereport@thewaterwaystrust.org.uk] Website: National Waterways Museum


 * The National Waterways Museum brings together a unique fleet of historic boats with rich collections and archives to tell the story of Britains canals and waterways. The historic docks at Ellesmere Port provide the perfect setting. With its stunning location on the banks of the Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, extensive in-door displays, boat trips and historic buildings, the Museum is a great day out where time slows down and history comes to life.

Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse
Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse 162 London Road Northwich, Cheshire CW9 8AB UK Telephone: 1606 271640 Email: [mailto:weaverhalladmin@cheshirewest.gov.uk weaverhalladmin@cheshirewest.gov.uk] Website: Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse


 * This museum records the social, cultural and industrial history of west Cheshire. It was formerly known as the Salt Museum, reflecting its early focus on the history of salt extraction, a local industry dating back to Roman times. The museum was renamed Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse in 2010 as its remit now extends to cover the broader history of the area and also the history of the building itself as a former workhouse. It is part of the West Cheshire Museums.

For a long list of Cheshire museums, go to List of museums in Cheshire in Wikipedia.