The National Waterway Museum-Ellesmere

The National Waterway Museum-Ellesmere

The National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port is housed on an attractive seven acre site, that was previously a thriving canal docks.

The handsome Victorian buildings that house the Museum's displays sit amidst a scene of locks and moorings vibrant with historic and visiting narrow boats and rich with canal wildlife.

Designed by Thomas Telford under the direction of William Jessop, the docks at Ellesmere Port were still in use as late as the 1950s. They were a marvellously self-contained world and when you visit the museum today you can still walk round its locks, docks and warehouses and visit its forge, stables and workers cottages.

Canals are havens for wildlife. As you explore look and listen out for the many birds that live here or travel through. They include pied wagtails, swans, coots, ducks, cormorants and moor hens. If you're lucky you may catch sight of a king fisher or even hear a sky lark!

With its delightful waterside setting, flotillas of historic boats and fascinating displays housed in fine Victorian buildings, the Museum is a great day out whatever the weather. Its stunning location beside the Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal makes the museum well-placed to show how the waterways helped drive the UK's astonishing industrial revolution.

Collection of Ellesmere Port:
One of the defining features of the UK is its waterways - over 2000 miles of them. The Museum's collections all relate to this unique world. And with its historic docks and port buildings Ellesmere Port provides a perfect backdrop.
The blacksmith's is still in use and domestic interiors are re-created in the original Porters Row cottages. The Power Hall is home to a gleaming array of beautifully maintained engines previously used to power the boats and cranes of the canal world.
The Island Warehouse galleries focus on boat making, travel and trade and life on the canals. Here tools and crafts such as fender-making and painted canal-ware can be seen alongside model and full-size boats, fascinating archive films and inventive interactive displays.

National Waterways Museum gives children a superb introduction to the world of canals and waterways. Rich collections, fleets of narrow boats and other vessels, and fabulous historic site really capture children's imaginations.

VISITORS INFORMATION:

Museum opening
Open daily
10am to 5pm

Shop and café opening
Open daily, all year
10am to 4pm
(Museum, café and shop closed  Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day)

Address:
National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port
South Pier Road
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire
CH65 4FW