National Waterways Museum Ellesmere Port — Attraction in Ellesmere Port

The National Waterways Museum - Discovering the life of people and the boats on Ellesmere Port

What is the National Waterways Museum?

The National Waterways Museum is located in Ellesmere Port. It is a beautiful site with full of history and with stunning views around the site.

On your visit you will see:

Porters Row cottages

The Blacksmith’s forge

The Canal docks

The Island Warehouse Exhibition

The Power Hall

The Pump House

The Port Row Cottages

All parts of the site were enjoyable but the best part of the visit was seeing the Port Row Cottages. It was interesting and fun seeing how people lived through the old times in Ellesmere Port.

They were built in 1833. The Port Row cottages were there over many years. They were occupied by a variety of people including shipwrights, blacksmiths, railway workers, porters and their families.

Today they are real homes from the 1830s, 1900, 1930s and the 1950s.

It was great to see the various items of furniture including wardrobes, lovely fireplaces, and items of kitchen equipment.

The Blacksmith’s forge

This is where the canal’s company iron work was made. The site was interesting but small. Alex was there and he was friendly giving us a brief insight into his work as a blacksmith.

The Canal Docks

When visiting this 7 acre site you will walk through the scenic views showing the Victorian buildings, docks, locks, stables, cottages, and canal basins.

Ellesmere Port has played a vital role in developing the North West into a powerhouse.

The Island Warehouse Exhibition

This Exhibition was good. It was wonderful seeing the different objects that you see on the docks. I was intrigued about how a ice breaker boat worked.

It was lovely seeing the different shapes and sizes of boat from a coracle to a canoe and the narrow boat Friendship.

The Power Hall

The Power Hall houses a vast variety of engines that are all associated with water. It was great to look at different types. It was interesting to learn about them too. They are maintained by the Museum volunteers.

The collection included the 50HP Bolinder twin diesel engine which is now in running condition.

The Pump House

The Pump House was great. It included the steam driven pumping engines that supplied power for hydraulic cranes.

Also the Yarwood steam engine is also on display too.

Facilities

The National Waterways Museum has a nice café with beautiful views looking over the Port. They offer hot and cold drinks. There is also a good selection of sandwiches and cakes however they stop serving food from 2.30 pm.

There are also toilets on the site.

Lighting and Access

The lighting at the site is decent yet the majority of the site is outdoors with a few indoor sections.

In relation to access the site is not on one floor. It is spread across the site with steps and ramps to access the Power Hall and the Pump House. It is also the case to when getting up close to the ships on the docks.

Pricing

You will need to pay in order to gain entry at the National Waterways Museum and the prices are:

Family: £28.50

Adult: £11.75

Concession: £10.50

Child: £8.50

Under 6 are free.

Your ticket will then be valid for a period of 12 months. This means that future visits within the 12 month period are free.

Parking

The National Waterways Museum has its own car park which is nearby to the site.

If you love learning about the history of Ellesmere Port and how people lived during the old times in a fun and interesting way then The National Waterways Museum...

It's now August 2021. The 'Ellesmere Port Boat Museum' is now open again, from Thursdays to Sundays. I've been around the museum many times over the years, so now I normally go there just to meet people over a coffee, in clean, pleasant surroundings. The museum is interesting when you first go there. It's situated at the far northern end of the Shropshire Union Canal. It's possible to go on a boat, from there, onto the Manchester Ship Canal and either go left onto the Mersey, or right towards the Weaver Navigation and Salford. Few people do this though. Watch various channels on YouTube to see why! There's a lot of red tape and cost involved. Most stop to look around the museum, or just to visit the cafe and small souvenir shop. There's plenty of mooring space in the bottom basin for boats and there's a free car park if you decide to go by car. The bus stops and Merseyrail Station are about a 10-15 minute walk away. It takes 3 hours from Chester by boat, or 20 minutes by car. They charge about £9 entrance fee and the ticket lasts for a year. You can then go as many times as you like for the year. They have quite a big site and the attractions include a blacksmith workshop, engine room, toll house, horse stables, exhibits of canal artefacts, meeting rooms and a row of 3 old cottages, furnished in the style of different time periods. There is a number of historic canal and river craft. The old rotting, sunken boats that used to give a bad impression, have mostly been removed. It's sometimes possible to go for a short boat trip, at a cost of another £4 per head, but I wouldn't bother. The trip only lasts a few minutes and it goes through a derelict part of the canal. The cafe and staff are pleasant, although the menu keeps shrinking. You can get tea, coffee and soft drinks, plus light snacks, but long gone are the days when you could get a hearty breakfast and a substantial lunch. Apart from the paid staff, there is a group of loyal volunteers, who help to run the Museum. Most people visiting the museum for the first time, seem to be glad they went. If I have a criticism, it is that I'd like to see a bit more movement. You rarely see a boat going up or down the locks, but when you do, visitors soon gather around to watch. This is probably because it takes a determined boater to make the journey to this outpost, so not that many do so. This all changes at the annual Easter Boat Gathering, when the place becomes a hive of activity, with many boats, old and not so old, turning up for the event. Overall, I think it's definitely worth a visit. After all, the more people that turn up, the busier it will be.

Okay, so it's now April 2022. I visited the museum cafe on a Wednesday. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday at the moment. I couldn't see anybody walking around the site, but the nice cafe was quite well patronised. The menu seems to get less each time I go there. You can get cake and pre-packed sandwiches, baked potatoes, bacon batches, plates of very expensive chips, tea, coffee and soft drinks, plus small bags of dog biscuits! Still, I like it there. The staff are friendly and it's like an oasis in the middle of a pretty...

Quite simply superb! In Ellesmere Port and I spent over 3 hours here on this seven acre site with its Grade 2 listed buildings. So much to see. Dog friendly (on leads). Shop. Café. Exhibitions and special events, working locks - as it is sited on the Shropshire Union Canal where it meets the Manchester Ship Canal. There is a collection of 50 historic boats and 15,000 objects, not that I was counting, ha. Kids play area, industrial archaeology and a row of 1833 period houses which you can enter, but not upstairs. There is a working blacksmiths forge which offers teaching lessons in blacksmithing. Amongst the displays and collections of artefacts and model ships stands a crocheted horse that is something else, as is the colourful textile hanging. But my absolute favourite top notch part was the Power Hall. (G on the map plan.) The staff throughout the museum were very welcoming, informative and keen to share their knowledge and nowhere more so than in the Power Hall. Brilliant collection of working engines, all very Heathcote Robinson! Mesmerising and hypnotic when they are operating, chuffing and sighing and seamless and faultless. They are beautiful, magical, smooth and absolutely brilliant and built to last. Genius. I had to force myself to leave the Power Hall as I could have stayed there quite happily til closing time. One machine in particular could easily have lulled me to sleep. So glad I went. And....your ticket is valid for a year, so you can revisit as many times as you like! 100%...