Skip to content
Navigate by A to Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z or full list of Services

Setantii Museum

Open: Monday to Friday: 10am to 4pm
Saturday: 10am to 1pm
Sunday: Closed

Photo of air raid shelter at Setantii  Photo of Ashton Town Hall, where Setantii is located  Photo of visitors with interactive at Setantii 

Welcome

Setantii is an exciting museum exploring the history of Tameside from Celtic times to the present day.  Families will love the olden day figures, replica armour and the Anderson air raid shelter with its wartime sound effects.   

Visitors can discover how the Celts lived, see the difference between Norman lords and serfs, experience the 15th century market and find out about the Tameside families involved in the Civil War.  Look out for the famous Longdendale Longbow - the type used at the Battle of Agincourt, learn about life in Tameside from the early battles with the Romans through to the industrial and cultural developments of today. Experience wartime Tameside, step inside our Anderson air raid shelter and visit our 1940s kitchen. 

Planning a Visit

Setantii is located within Ashton-under-Lyne's impressive Victorian Town Hall. The museum is in easy walking distance of both the bus and railway stations and there is ample public parking in the town centre.  The entrance to the museum is through Tameside Tourist Information Centre or from the Town Hall's main entrance on Ashton marketplace.  The museum is fully accessible if you are a wheelchair user or are visiting with a buggy.  While the museum does not have a café there are many places to find refreshments near to the museum. 

There are lots of activities in the museum for you and your family and friends to try. During the school holidays there are self-led art activities available at our craft table and a regular drop-in family workshop that takes place on Wednesdays during school holidays from 11am - 3pm. During term time the museum offers school workshops on the Romans and World War Two.  Groups always receive a warm welcome. Please telephone 0161 342 2812 to book your visit.

The Museum of the Manchester Regiment is also located in Ashton Town Hall above Setantii and is accessible by lift.

Facilities

  • Full access for visitors with disabilities
  • Baby changing facilities
  • Near by parking
  • Refreshments available nearby
  • Historic market outside the Museum
  • Near to bus and train stations
  • Family and school workshops

Exhibitions

Setantii has a temporary exhibition space and is currently exhibiting About the Past, in the Present, for the Future until 8 June 2009.

“You would use a typewriter so you could read old handwriting.”

Between 2007 and 2008 children across Tameside explored Tameside Museums and Galleries Service’s extensive collection. They spent time in the museum’s stores, musing over the purpose of the typewriters, glass bottles, and radios that have become part of the museum’s collection. They then researched the objects in the library and worked with artists Liz Noble and Harriet Hall to create miniature household objects and publications.

In 2008 the children’s work and findings went on display across Central Art Gallery and Library, but without many of the original objects that the children saw in the stores. Due to popular demand, Setantii is now showing the children’s work alongside the objects that inspired them.

Family History Centre

Discover your family tree at Tameside Family History Centre. This unique service will guide you through the maze of sources to discover your past. Run by the Manchester Archaeological Unit, it offers one-to-one expert help and advice, including guidance on using on-line sources. The service is completely free and runs on a drop in basis. Telephone: 0161 342 2813.  Access via Tameside Tourist Information Centre

Directions to Setantii from the motorway network

Contact Information
Send us a Message Send us a Message
Contact by post

Setantii Museum
Tameside MBC
Council Offices
Wellington Road
Ashton under Lyne
Lancs
OL6 6DL

View local map Map image
Contact by Telephone
0161 342 2812

Museums Libraries Archives Council - Accredited Logo Quality Assured Visitor Attraction Logo


Page last updated: 11 February 2009