What is the National Football Football Museum?
Wed 10th April 2019 | General | By Stewart Taylor
As is often said, the clue is in the name and the National Football Museum, a partner organisation to the Hallmark Security League, is exactly that.
The repository, if you will, of the history of the game, as embodied in the motto of the museum: 'For the Game of our Lives'.
But first, a little history and context which starts with a question.
What does the word museum mean to you? If you are thinking along the lines of simple exhibits arranged in a regimented order in silent rooms in Victorian establishments, then you might be right in a few cases, but this is far from the modern museum experience.
The city of Manchester is blessed with a number of museums which cover many aspects of history. Think of the admirable art galleries such as the Whitworth on Oxford Road and the Manchester Art Gallery on Mosley Street.
The city is home to an international university of considerable size and scope, part of which is the Manchester Museum on Oxford Road, featuring a whole range of activities covering the city’s language and diversity.
We then see museums covering more modern day aspects of the society we live in, including the People's History Museum (near to the border with Salford), the Science and Industry Museum (Liverpool Road), the Greater Manchester Police Museum (Newton Street) and many others of specialised, but nevertheless, fascinating interest.
Included in this group, of course, is the subject of these articles – the National Football Museum.
If we go back to the question at the start of this article, we see that any concept of a museum being a rather staid establishment is immediately contradicted by a visit to any of the above.
The next article will consider what happens inside the museum, but before we go on to that, we can take a quick look at the building which houses the museum and see just how far away we are from the concept of “silent rooms in Victorian establishments”.
The National Football Museum is housed in what is still known today – not least from the brown tourist information road signs on the approaches to the city - as the Urbis Building.
The building opened in 2002 as part of the redevelopment of part of the city and was a museum of the city, presenting aspects of inner-city life. Visitor numbers did not reach expectations and the space was redefined as a changing exhibition of popular culture alongside live events.
The building closed in 2010 but reopened in 2012, having been restyled to take in the National Football Museum from its former home at Deepdale, Preston.
The location of the building in Cathedral Gardens is of great significance to the history of Manchester, being across from the world renowned Chetham's School of Music and alongside the former Corn Exchange building.
Nearby is Manchester Cathedral and the relocated buildings (The Shambles) which were formerly closer to the River Irwell. The Museum is handily placed for transport links via Victoria Station and Exchange Square Metro stop.
Next week, we will take a look at what visitors can find inside the museum, and the photo below gives a taster - one of the display cases in the museum that houses our league trophies.
What is the National Football Football Museum?
Wed 10th April 2019 | General
By Stewart Taylor
As is often said, the clue is in the name and the National Football Museum, a partner organisation to the Hallmark Security League, is exactly that.
The repository, if you will, of the history of the game, as embodied in the motto of the museum: 'For the Game of our Lives'.
But first, a little history and context which starts with a question.
What does the word museum mean to you? If you are thinking along the lines of simple exhibits arranged in a regimented order in silent rooms in Victorian establishments, then you might be right in a few cases, but this is far from the modern museum experience.
The city of Manchester is blessed with a number of museums which cover many aspects of history. Think of the admirable art galleries such as the Whitworth on Oxford Road and the Manchester Art Gallery on Mosley Street.
The city is home to an international university of considerable size and scope, part of which is the Manchester Museum on Oxford Road, featuring a whole range of activities covering the city’s language and diversity.
We then see museums covering more modern day aspects of the society we live in, including the People's History Museum (near to the border with Salford), the Science and Industry Museum (Liverpool Road), the Greater Manchester Police Museum (Newton Street) and many others of specialised, but nevertheless, fascinating interest.
Included in this group, of course, is the subject of these articles – the National Football Museum.
If we go back to the question at the start of this article, we see that any concept of a museum being a rather staid establishment is immediately contradicted by a visit to any of the above.
The next article will consider what happens inside the museum, but before we go on to that, we can take a quick look at the building which houses the museum and see just how far away we are from the concept of “silent rooms in Victorian establishments”.
The National Football Museum is housed in what is still known today – not least from the brown tourist information road signs on the approaches to the city - as the Urbis Building.
The building opened in 2002 as part of the redevelopment of part of the city and was a museum of the city, presenting aspects of inner-city life. Visitor numbers did not reach expectations and the space was redefined as a changing exhibition of popular culture alongside live events.
The building closed in 2010 but reopened in 2012, having been restyled to take in the National Football Museum from its former home at Deepdale, Preston.
The location of the building in Cathedral Gardens is of great significance to the history of Manchester, being across from the world renowned Chetham's School of Music and alongside the former Corn Exchange building.
Nearby is Manchester Cathedral and the relocated buildings (The Shambles) which were formerly closer to the River Irwell. The Museum is handily placed for transport links via Victoria Station and Exchange Square Metro stop.
Next week, we will take a look at what visitors can find inside the museum, and the photo below gives a taster - one of the display cases in the museum that houses our league trophies.
