The Manchester Museum is part of the University of Manchester. Its collections include more than six million exhibits, and the museum functions as both a research center and museum open to the public.

The basis of the museum exhibition was the collection of the Natural History Society of Manchester and the Manchester Geological Society gathered in the XIX century. In 1867, due to financial difficulties the company was delegated these collections Owen College (now - University of Manchester). For the construction of the new museum building college invited Alfred Waterhouse, the author of the architectural project of the London Natural History Museum.

In 1912, the exposition of the museum has expanded significantly due to "Egyptian collections" donated to the museum by local industrialist Jesse Howarth, who sponsored the archaeological excavations and research.

The museum is constantly expanding, acquiring new exhibits and increasing its area. In 1997 the Museum received a grant of 12, 5 million pounds, and in 2003, reopened after extensive renovation. The last notable acquisitions of the museum - a copy of a tyrannosaur skeleton nicknamed Stan.

The museum is famous for its entomological and mineralogical collections, and the collection of shellfish - the most extensive in the UK.

Of particular interest is a collection dedicated to the art of archery, and has more than 2,000 exhibits from Europe, Asia and Africa.