Portland Basin Museum
The Museum Displays
Portland Basin Museum opened in 1999 and boasts two main galleries and a temporary exhibition space.
Social History Gallery:
The Social History Gallery takes the form of a recreated 1920s street. You will find the kitchen, parlour, back yard and outside toilet of a typical two-up two-down Tameside terrace house. There is also a schoolroom, fish and chip shop, pawnbroker, grocer’s shop, chapel, pub and doctor’s surgery. The street is one of our most popular features, enjoyed by visitors of all ages. The street is perfect for sparking reminiscence about days gone by and for younger visitors to learn about local life in the past.
Industrial History Gallery:
Downstairs in the museum you will find the Industrial History Gallery, ‘Made In Tameside’. There are impressive pieces of large machinery from Tameside’s industrial past from companies such as National Gas and Oil Company, Joshua Heap and John Summers Iron Works on display. Other highlights include the stone crusher and moulds from Eli Whalley’s donkey stone factory, tools from Tameside’s hatting and gloving industries and a collection of Jones sewing machines. There are also displays telling the story of cotton, coal mining and agriculture in Tameside. The Industrial History Gallery leads out on to the canal wharf and our historic waterwheel.
Tales of Tameside:
The Tales of Tameside gallery which tells the story of Tameside from the Celts to the Industrial Revolution. Visitors can discover the legend of the Black Knight and feel the weight of the Norman chain mail. Also on display are archaeological finds from Dukinfield Hall and Denton Hall, Roman coins found in Denton, plus glass made in a seventeenth century coal fired furnace in Haughton Green.
