Greater Manchester Police Museum

In what was once a genuine Victorian police station, you really do get a feel for what it must have been like to be on either side of the law in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Having been carefully restored, all aspects of the museum – from its dingy corridors and magistrate's coutroom to its hard cell beds – feel uncomfortably real.

Galleries contain historic police equipment and uniforms, while other exhibits throw a spotlight on everything from forensics to forgery. It's a fascinating and lovingly crafted story of how policing has changed over the years to keep up with the ever changing facets of the criminal world. There's an extensive archive and photographic collections, too, which can be viewed by prior arrangement.