Before the Heritage Fund-supported project, the museum was housed across two sites on opposite sides of the city – the Grade II listed Pump House, the site of the new extended museum, and the Mechanics Institute.

The museum originates from the Trade Union, Labour and Co-operative History Society, who from the 1960s formed a small collection relating to the history of working people in Britain. The collections have grown considerably from this time, and in 1998 were designated as being of national importance. The collection is made up of items from the last 200 years, relating to the organised labour movement in Britain. It includes 18th and 19th century political cartoons, posters, badges, banners, commemorative ceramics and personal possessions from key reformers.

The key focus of the project was to join all the museum’s operations onto one site, at the Pump House. This included repairs to the Grade II listed building, and a new build extension to increase gallery space by 40%. The project also included refitting and reinterpreting the displays to improve the visitor experience.

The museum won the award ‘Building of the Year 2010’ from the Greater Manchester chamber of Commerce and the Civic Trust’s ‘Award of Excellence’.