Purpose-built to tell the powerful stories of over a century of war, IWM North makes full use of its extraordinary exhibition space to deliver an award-winning immersive experience.
Tickets
Free Admission, advanced booking advised for timed entry. Walk up anytime on the day, at busy times you may need to wait.
Read our safety information and frequently asked questions.
Book your visit to IWM North
Before you book please consider supporting IWM by becoming a member.
As a thank you for your support, you will enjoy free admission to our charging branches including IWM Duxford, Churchill War Rooms and HMS Belfast (when reopened).
Visit IWM North
©IWM
Why do we need to tell the story of war?
All the photos, words, videos, films, interviews, objects, exhibitions, what is it all for?
Because this story isn't our story, not just one time, not just in the past.
It's lots of people's, lots of nations, always hoping it's the last.
On your visit hear the stories, be prepared to change your mind.
Delve deep into the collections to see what you can find.
See the posters that do politics, hear the voices of the troops.
But connect with the stories that are more than guns and suits and boots.
It's more than planes or shards of building remains.
More than tanks or bombs in cars.
It's an important story, and it's theirs, and yours, and ours.
It's all the stories of all the people.
Each individual changed by war.
So come and change your perspective and see what they once saw.
Visit IWM North
Explore the timeline from the First World War to the present day, immerse yourself in the Big Picture Show, discover the forgotten histories of service personnel and civilians and see conflict through the eyes of artists.
Its unique purpose-built exhibition space gives powerful voice to extraordinary stories of ordinary people, forced to live their lives in a world torn apart by conflict.
This is a place where every object on display, every contemporary work of art and every exhibition is designed to live long in the memory.
Change your perspective at IWM North
Discover IWM North
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See moving artwork Poppies now on permanent display. The installation is one of many artworks at IWM North created in response to war and conflict, including the architecture of the building itself.
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© IWMWalk through a timeline of history from the First World War to the present day. Explore a vast collection of over 2,000 objects, each one with the power to move, surprise, inspire and change your perspective – from the First World War field gun that fired the opening British round on the Western Front, to the twisted rust-ridden steelwork retrieved from the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York.
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© IWMImmerse yourself in the 360-degree cinematic Big Picture Show that uses voices, sounds, music and imagery to ignite curiosity about challenging topics. Six shows bring a broad range of stories into powerful focus, reflecting not only on the immediate effects of war, but also what happens when the guns stop firing.
Stories from the museum
No other museum tells stories that matter more than these.
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ATS girls using an identification telescope. © IWM TR 476History
From the First World War to the present day, explore our articles on war and conflict, and its impact on service personnel and civilians.
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© IWMMuseum Collection
Explore around 800,000 items online that tell the story of modern warfare and conflict, collected by the museum since 1917.
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IWM Stories
IWM Stories is a video series from the Imperial War Museums that tackles big conflict questions.
We look at some of history's most important conflicts and examine how they were won and lost.
