Warrington Museum & Art Gallery

Warrington Museum and Art Gallery on Bold Street is one of the oldest municipal museums in Britain, founded in 1848 as part of the town's Museum and Library. The building itself is a handsome Victorian structure and the interior retains much of its original character, including glass-fronted cabinets and a top-lit art gallery.

The collections are famously eclectic. You will find Egyptian mummies, Roman artefacts from nearby Wilderspool, a natural history hall full of taxidermy including tigers, birds and a walrus, and a strong collection of geology and fossils. Local history galleries cover Warrington's role in the Industrial Revolution, wire-drawing, brewing and soap-making, together with material from the 18th-century Warrington Academy.

The art gallery upstairs shows oil paintings, watercolours and sculpture from the 18th century onwards, alongside changing temporary exhibitions by contemporary artists. Admission is free and the museum sits close to Warrington Central station and the town's main shopping streets, making it a straightforward stop on any visit to the town.