IWM North Reviews Summary

Exhibit Layout and Design

Pros:

• "The layout is in an easy to digest manner."
• "The museum itself is well laid out with an easy to follow and chronological order from 1914- modern day."
• "The 3,500 metres of exhibition hall runs chronologically across 6 thematic zones, design to be cavernous, dramatic, and sobering."
• "A variety of exhibits and we were wowed by the 'big picture show' where there were projectors on the walls, lights went out and was amazing!"

Cons:

• "It's was ok but more like an art exhibition than a museum."
• "Style over substance leaves some very high ceilings that don't really offer anything and the floor plan isn't the most straightforward."
• "A badly laid out museum. One important thing to note is the museum hall is one room and had immersive experiences played."
• "A massive and beautiful space, housing a number of excellent items. Utterly spoiled by dreadfully low lighting rendering a large part of all the context and information panels unreadable."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Staff are so helpful too, hats off to them all."
• "Nice and knowledgeable staff."
• "Lovely friendly, helpful & welcoming staff."
• "Very helpful and friendly staff. In all a very enjoyable family day out!!"

Cons:

• "However we were very abruptly ushered out at closing time."

Educational Value

Pros:

• "Educational, informative, sometimes a little sad reading the events and after effects of war."
• "Had a great school trip to IWM North as our class is studying World War One at the moment."
• "A wonderful experience all round. Free entry, car park right next to the building with reasonable parking rates. Good access for all abilities."
• "Very informative, daughter has wanted to visit for a while, she loved seeing all the exhibits."

Cons:

• "There are some great things to see here nevertheless I felt it didn't have enough information on the item's there."

Cost and Accessibility

Pros:

• "It’s was free entry at the time but I bought a programme as a donation."
• "Free entrance but you pretty much asked to make a donation on arrival."
• "A unique and interesting building surrounds a treasure trove of curiosities, celebrating the heroic and condemning the atrocities of war."
• "They also have a show with lights that's very touching. Going through the whole museum took me about 2.5 hours. The personnel were very nice and helpful."

Cons:

• "Free entry, parking a bit expensive, recommend a visit."
• "Having said that We found the fact that the parking starts a £5 for 4 Hrs and is only payable with credit/debit cards on site or on the internet."
• "Café on site, very basic menu but ok."
• "Car park is absolutely extortionate, but can be paid by card (£5 min)."

Exhibits and Artifacts

Pros:

• "The museum has some great exhibits and really captivated the children's imaginations."
• "There's tons to see from WW1 and WW2, there's a tank and even remains from the World Trade Centre."
• "The museum is really interesting and has the power to project you back in time."
• "Very impressive. Huge space with all War stuff around. Very clear description of everything."

Cons:

• "Not as big as I initially thought but still managed to spend there amazing 2.5 hrs."
• "It's definitely a museum which glorifies war rather it being something we should be avoiding."
• "The museum itself was OK and with everything nicely presented although I do feel it needed more larger items like tanks and vehicles."
• "A great place to visit for all the family, explore the exhibits dedicated to the memories of battles past and the people who fought at home and abroad."