National Waterways Museum

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National Waterways Museum A 200-year-old historic dock, we tell the story of the canals and the people who lived on them. Canals are havens for wildlife.
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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 makes a great family day out in Cheshire, where time slows down and history comes to life. There's so much to explore from the handsome Victorian buildings, which house the museum's Quality Assured Visitor Attraction Logodisplays, to the locks and moorings vibrant with historic and visiting narrow boats. 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. Look and listen out for the many birds that live here or travel through - pied wagtails, swans, coots, ducks, cormorants, moor hens - you may even catch sight of a kingfisher or even hear a sky lark! Our page will keep you updated with the latest news and events. Don't forget to share your pictures with us!

Halloween Half Term events (26 Oct-1 Nov, 10am - 4pm) Join us for some spooky fun!🎃Halloween Trails 🧑‍🎨 Crafty activitie...
26/10/2026

Halloween Half Term events (26 Oct-1 Nov, 10am - 4pm) Join us for some spooky fun!
🎃Halloween Trails 🧑‍🎨 Crafty activities 😋themed treats 🪄plus:
🚢 Boat Trips £5pp (running daily at 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.00 and 15.00)
👻Ghost Tours (daily excluding Saturday 31st - please phone 0151 355 5017 to check availability)
Did you know the National Waterways Museum has 6 resident ghosts? Will they come out to show themselves this Halloween? Take a free Ghost Tour to find out how these waterways spirits ended up here.

Meet Katy - one of our grounds maintenance and marketing volunteers who can normally be seen keeping everything neat and...
25/10/2026

Meet Katy - one of our grounds maintenance and marketing volunteers who can normally be seen keeping everything neat and tidy around the museum's grounds. Due to the less favorable weather conditions, she's turned her hand to something a bit different this week and helped out with preparations for our up-coming half-term Halloween activities. Come and admire Katy's handy work and see all our lovely spooky decorations alongside:
👻Ghost Tours * Halloween Trails * Crafty activities
🚢Boat Trips (running Mon-Friday)
😋 Scary snacks in the Waterside Café
If you'd like more information about volunteering, please just get in touch with any of the museum team

We're turning the clocks back all weekend! Pay 1976 prices for day tickets (on 24 & 25 October) ☔Lots of indoor exhibiti...
23/10/2026

We're turning the clocks back all weekend! Pay 1976 prices for day tickets (on 24 & 25 October) ☔Lots of indoor exhibition spaces where you can dodge the raindrops!
🎟️Adults £1.95 I Child/Concs £1.50
🚂miniature steam engines
🔎Living history across the site
📷exhibitions with rare photos and objects
🙋‍♀️Tours, trails and traditional canal crafts
💦Lock and engine demos
Join us as we turn the clocks back to 1976 to celebrate the museum's 50th anniversary year

Pay 1976 prices on day tickets (24 & 25 October). To celebrate the museum's 50th anniversary year we'll be turning the c...
14/10/2026

Pay 1976 prices on day tickets (24 & 25 October). To celebrate the museum's 50th anniversary year we'll be turning the clocks back to 1976!
🎟️Adults £1.95 I Child/Concs £1.50
🔎Living history across the site
🚂miniature steam engines
📷Exhibition with rare photos and objects
🙋‍♀️Tours, trails and traditional canal crafts
💦Lock and engine demos

09/10/2026

Join Craig Hughes behind the scenes in the museum’s Photogrammetry Suite and discover how our collections team is bringing history to life through 3D images of unique waterways artefacts. Thanks as always to Craig for helping us share our stories!

What a lovely morning we had at Storyhouse in Chester yesterday! Massive thanks to our talented volunteers Sue, Chris, E...
06/10/2026

What a lovely morning we had at Storyhouse in Chester yesterday! Massive thanks to our talented volunteers Sue, Chris, Eve, Neil and John for sharing fabulous stories of what it's like to work behind the scenes at the National Waterways Museum and the traditional skills still used to maintain and preserve the authenticity of the museum's Grade II listed buildings. Big thanks to Helen, Bob and Paul for supporting and of course to StoryhouseLive for inviting us!
📣✨Don't miss - Storyhouse Elders - returning 12-16 October with a festival of connection, and creativity, created specifically for and with older members of Chester’s community.

🎅join us for a festive experience like no other! ⛴️
06/10/2026

🎅join us for a festive experience like no other! ⛴️

Halloween Half Term Activities (26 Oct-1 Nov, 10am - 4pm)Join us at the museum for some spooky fun!👻Ghost Tours * Hallow...
05/10/2026

Halloween Half Term Activities (26 Oct-1 Nov, 10am - 4pm)
Join us at the museum for some spooky fun!
👻Ghost Tours * Halloween Trails * Crafty activities
🚢Frighteningly fun Boat Trips (daily at 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.00 and 15.00)
😋 Scary snacks in the Waterside Café
Did you know the National Waterways Museum has 6 resident ghosts? Will they come out to show themselves this Halloween? Take one of our free Ghost Tours to find out how these waterways spirits ended up here and watch out for our gorgeously ghoulish costumed staff across the site!

Treat your family to a magical experience this Christmas!🛥️Festive Boat Trip & Grotto🎁Meet Santa in his Grotto📍National ...
01/10/2026

Treat your family to a magical experience this Christmas!
🛥️Festive Boat Trip & Grotto
🎁Meet Santa in his Grotto
📍National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port
📅 5/6, 12/13, 19/20 & 21, 22, 23 & 24 December

🛥️Festive Boat Trip & Grotto: Begin your adventure with a festive canal boat trip, where one of Santa’s friendly elves will entertain you with stories, games, a Christmas quiz and jingle bells. Afterwards, step inside an enchanting grotto, where a snowy woodland scene and a crackling fireplace create the perfect setting to meet Santa himself. (£12.50pp)

🎁Meet Santa in his Grotto: Santa has a festive gift for every child and is looking forward to hearing your Christmas wishes. Oh, and he loves having his photo taken (personal photography is permitted) so remember to bring your biggest smiles with you! (£8.50 per child + up to 2 accompanying adults)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Trip Advisor: The elf who took the (boat) tour was absolutely brilliant and really engaged the kids for the entire trip ...our time spent at the museum could not have been better. I would absolutely recommend you pay a visit.

After your visit to Santa, your ticket includes entry into the museum for the whole day.
Book here ➡️https://canalrivertrust.digitickets.co.uk/category/53512?branches.branchID=2917

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We're all very excited to be speaking at the next Storyhouse Elders event:📅 Monday 5 October (10.30am - 12pm)📍Garret Bar...
29/09/2026

We're all very excited to be speaking at the next Storyhouse Elders event:
📅 Monday 5 October (10.30am - 12pm)
📍Garret Bar, Storyhouse Chester
🙌FREE to attend - please book your place in advance here https://www.storyhouse.com/whats-on/storyhouse-elders-monthly-event/
Meet Sue James who’ll be sharing her story of how she and her team of volunteers care for the museum’s Porters Row period cottages originally built in 1833 for the dockworkers and their families. Today, the cottages are furnished and dressed to reflect different time periods: 1830, 1900, 1936 and 1952. Find out about the challenge of maintaining an authentic care programme as well as the fun to be had (in costume and in various personas) on event days. Sue will also be sharing stories of the early volunteers who set up the original Boat Museum in the early 1970s and the boats, people and buildings that shaped the site that’s there today.
This will be followed by volunteers Eve and Chris who'll be explaining the techniques used by the museum's craft and crochet groups (including lacing and rag-rugging) to add to the authenticity of the cottage furnishings and historic narrow boat cabins.

You can also find out what goes on behind the scenes with site maintenance volunteers Neil and John who'll be sharing insights about preservation, restoration and the traditional carpentry skills used to maintain Porters Row, the museum's Grade II listed buildings and other historic features.

We hope you'll be able to join us at StoryhouseLive

Address

South Pier Road
Ellesmere Port
CH654FW

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