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Our Collection

bird on red background

Collections at Manchester Museum

A leopard in the museum storage.

The Manchester Museum collection numbers almost 4.25 million specimens and objects. We are in the process of cataloguing the whole collection so that you can search the collections online.  Like most museums we are only able to display a tiny percentage of our collection, the remainder can be accessed and used in research, temporary exhibitions, public programmes or for general interest. If you would like to view objects and specimens not on display you can do so in our Resource Centre.

Egyptology

One of the sarcophagi in the Ancient Egypt Gallery. The Manchester Museum is home to one of the largest and most important collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts in the United Kingdom. The collection includes objects from prehistoric Egypt (c. 10,000 BC) to the Byzantine era, up to around AD 600.

Botany

Oranges growing in the greenhouse at Manchester Museum

With around one million specimens, the work on the botany collection is based upon the extensive research and reference collections of preserved plants.

Live Animals

Endangered Monkey Frog from the Amazon, Ecuador Come and meet the live frogs, other amphibians and reptiles in our award winning Vivarium!

Resource Centre

The Museum's new Resource Centre on Floor 3 is open to anyone wanting to do research on objects in the Museum's collection. Visitors are welcome to the Centre at any time between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday, although an appointment is needed for access to the collection and reference books. Please phone 0161 275 2643, email phyllis.stoddart@manchester.ac.uk or drop into the Resource Centre to find out more or make an appointment.