The People’s History Museum's collections are designated as nationally significant and are widely used for teaching and research in the higher education sector. The museum has a successful partnership with the University of Central Lancashire and is supported through the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Objects represent the last 200 years of the organised labour movement in Britain and the social history of working people. There are specific collections relating to the Labour Party, the Communist Party of Great Britain, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Trades Union Congress and the Co-operative Group (CWS) Limited. There is a major collection of political cartoons and large collections of banners, emblems, posters and ephemera from a wide range of political parties, trade unions and campaigning organisations. There are paintings and drawings by left-wing artists, commemorative ceramics, badges and political tokens. Approximately 80,000 photographic images illustrate labour history, the Labour Party and the Communist Party of Great Britain.
The Labour History Archive and Study Centre holds the museum’s archival collections and maintains the archives of the Labour Party and the Communist Party of Great Britain. It has close links with many academic institutions worldwide and is widely used by students and schools. There are also archives of democratic reform movements including Chartism, women’s organisations and personal papers of several leading Labour politicians. There are journals, reference books, press cuttings and over 15,000 pamphlets. Principal collections are accessible online through Access to Archives at www.a2a.org.uk and there are collection level descriptions on the Archives Hub. For further details, please contact Jim Garretts, Keeper [museum objects] or Darren Treadwell, Archive Assistant [archives]. Telephone 0161 228 7212.
These minutes of the Parliamentary Labour Party clearly and simply set out its early intentions. Topics included Trades Disputes, Women’s Suffrage, Old Age Pensions, Child Feeding and Housing. The minutes cover 11 pages and concentrate on domestic issues.