Why is the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port important?

The Boat Museum offers a wide range of opportunities for students of all ages to explore Curriculum linked topics including industrial history, local history, design and technology and geography. Take a look at a few of the objects from the collection at Ellesmere Port below. If you have any questions about the collection you can email us

How to get to the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere?

By boat – follow the Shropshire Union Canal all the way to Ellesmere Port. We have some visitor moorings available in the docks By road – follow brown signs for ‘The Boat Museum’. And you’ll find loads of free parking for cars, coaches and bikes. The coach drop off point is outside main entrance. And we have designated disabled parking spaces

How to get to Ellesmere Port by bus or train?

By bus – Ellesmere Port bus station is 20 minutes walk. For information on bus and train travel call Traveline on 0871 200 2233 or download the itravel smart phone app – a free journey planning app for Cheshire West and Chester with up to date travel information, interactive maps and public transport timetables

What is the purpose of the Boat Museum?

The Society is an Independent, wholly Voluntary Charitable Trust dedicated for over 30 years to the preservation of working craft of the inland waterways and the associated skills and lore of those who built and worked them. The Society founded the Boat Museum, which it continues to support actively.

Is the National Waterways Museum in Manchester closing?

We are closing The National Waterways Museum from Friday 20 March. For more information, read our latest coronavirus update. Sitting where the Shropshire Union Canal meets the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey, volunteers, funders and Trust colleagues have transformed the old docks into a fantastic family day out.