Liverpool has always been a city with great stories to tell, and its museums help to protect those memories. Marking 40 years since the Merseyside Museums and Galleries Order was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 12 February 1986, National Museums Liverpool is celebrating this milestone with a special exhibition. National Museums Liverpool at 40 is now on display at World Museum on William Brown Street, and visitors have until 28 February 2027 to explore four decades of local history.
Over the past four decades, National Museums Liverpool has welcomed around 80 million visitors across its many sites. Now, for the first time, rare objects from the Lady Lever Art Gallery, International Slavery Museum, Maritime Museum, Museum of Liverpool, Sudley House, Walker Art Gallery and World Museum itself will be displayed together under one roof. Each piece is part of a vast and distinctive collection that highlights both local history and connections to the wider world.
Visitors will find a variety of items that tell the story of the city, including rare objects salvaged from the Titanic. Fashion fans can admire clothing that reflects the city’s most important cultural landmarks, such as an iconic jacket from the legendary Cream nightclub. Liverpool in 1680 – the earliest depiction of Liverpool in a painting – will also be on display, alongside the Pyramidion from the pyramid of Neferronpet and many other pieces.
Joe Brook, head of Audiences and Media at National Museums Liverpool, says:
“Marking 40 years of National Museums Liverpool provides us with an opportunity to look back on highlights of the past four decades, and celebrate our city’s huge impact on UK and international culture.
“It is also an opportunity to look forward to the future. To think about the purpose and role of museums and galleries in not just telling stories of the past but shaping how we continue to change lives in the future.”
National Museums Liverpool at 40 is more than a simple exhibition: it reflects how the city and the world have developed over the last four decades. By bringing together pieces of every kind from different parts of the world, this exhibition highlights the immense work undertaken to protect such an important heritage.
Where: World Museum – William Brown St, Liverpool, United Kingdom, L3 8EN
When: now on display until 28 February 2027
