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World Museum Discover incredible objects from around the world, explore outer space and meet live creatures!
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World Museum is the oldest of the museums and galleries operated by National Museums Liverpool. It first opened on 8 March 1853 in the Ropeworks district of Liverpool, and it moved to its present site on William Brown Street in 1860. It has expanded to become one of the great museums of the British regions, with collections and displays of life sciences, earth sciences and human cultures around the world.

This piece of jewellery was commissioned for Reginald Richard Bailey and made by Broodle & Dunthorne of Liverpool, betwe...
13/10/2026

This piece of jewellery was commissioned for Reginald Richard Bailey and made by Broodle & Dunthorne of Liverpool, between 1962-63.

Bailey was a Conservative MP for Liverpool City Council who then went on to serve as Lord Mayor of Liverpool from 1955-56.

It was chosen for National Museums Liverpool at 40 by Fiona Slattery Clark, Curator of Decorative Arts at Lady Lever Art Gallery and Walker Art Gallery.

"I like the delicacy of this piece of ceremonial jewellery with its detailed enamel work. It is special to me because it was made by mBoodle & Dunthorne of Liverpool, now known as Boodles. I have fond memories of visiting the company's 100-year-old shop on Lord street where its friendly staff allowed me to try on expensive pink diamond rings for fun!"

See this and many more incredible objects from National Museums Liverpools collections in National Museums Liverpool at 40, on display at World Museum📍

Look who went on a guided hop round World Museum today!Fizzleskip Bunny is jellycat that's bright, bold, and bursting wi...
11/10/2026

Look who went on a guided hop round World Museum today!

Fizzleskip Bunny is jellycat that's bright, bold, and bursting with personality! She particularly enjoyed meeting her fellow bunny in the Clore Natural History Centre and the pop up Mindful Garden display in the Bug House. 🐰🐰

As an exclusive for independent stores, we're one of the only stockists in the city. You can find her in the World Museum shop and online.

Wings of the Sea opens today!Curated by the Shanghai Art Collection Museum, the display showcases the rich artistic heri...
10/10/2026

Wings of the Sea opens today!

Curated by the Shanghai Art Collection Museum, the display showcases the rich artistic heritage of China and celebrates the cultural links between the twin port cities of Liverpool and Shanghai.

Journey through a wide range of Chinese artforms, by artists showcasing their craftsmanship and the evolving nature of traditional art in our modern world.

Works meticulously carved out of jade and stone and sculpted from metal are displayed alongside paintings portraying countryside landscapes and everyday rural life.

Folk art and handicrafts give a glimpse into another side of Shanghai, with paper cuttings, embroidery and enamelwork revealing how Shanghai’s art combines tradition with new cultural influences.

Wings of the Sea is now on display on Level 2 at World Museum!

We're using Space Week as a great excuse to explore the wonderful world of Astrolabes.This astrolabe was built around 16...
09/10/2026

We're using Space Week as a great excuse to explore the wonderful world of Astrolabes.

This astrolabe was built around 1600-1609 in Persia. The maker’s name, which is engraved on it, is Muhammad Mahdi. Part of the physical sciences collections at the World Museum, bought in 1967, this astrolabe is currently on display in the Space and Time Gallery on the fifth floor.

The name comes from the Greek word astrolábos, meaning “star-taker” or “star searcher”. What is most fascinating about these small instruments is that they happen to be one of the most sophisticated and enduring computing devices in the history of technology prior to the contemporary era.

Originally conceived in outline by ancient Greek astronomers, this device was developed and repeatedly improvised by Medieval Islamic scientists. Astrolabes had hundreds of uses including mapping the exact position of stars and planets for navigation, determining the date, calculating time and even measuring heights and areas.

This versatility made these devices very important to the Islamic world. Because there was a community need to determine the exact time for the five daily obligatory prayers in Islam and facing Mecca is a requirement for the prayers, early Muslims made great advances in astronomy, mathematics and geography, to address these religious needs.

It has been said that nearly every instrument in astronomy is a development of the astrolabe. Today we need separate devices like a watch, a calendar, a surveying instrument and a navigating app connected to a satellite to do the work this small pocket device could do on its own.

Ever wondered what lurks in the waters of Royal Albert Dock Liverpool? 🪼🦀Recently, we welcomed to find out about our Do...
08/10/2026

Ever wondered what lurks in the waters of Royal Albert Dock Liverpool? 🪼🦀

Recently, we welcomed to find out about our Dockwatch project.

Working in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University and Canal and River Trust , Dockwatch gives passers-by the opportunity to find out more about the creatures that call our docks home. Crabs, mussels, moon jellyfish and plant life are collected from the dock wall so that the team can track the biodiversity and take a snapshot of what’s living in our waters.

Dr Gezi Reid, our Lead Curator of Botany, Geology & Science, spoke to the Newsround team and some local school pupils about how specimens are collected and how she tracks the health of the ecosystem through what is found beneath the surface of the Dock.

You can watch the full clip here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/videos/cxnv03ylq41eo 🐟🌊

This little lump of metal is a piece of an asteroid's core.It's a fragment of the Canyon Diablo meteorite, and it's 4.55...
08/10/2026

This little lump of metal is a piece of an asteroid's core.

It's a fragment of the Canyon Diablo meteorite, and it's 4.55 billion years old - making it one of the oldest objects in World Museum's collection!

It's mostly iron (92%) with a bit of nickel (7%), and it fits in your palm at 55 x 45 x 16 mm and 89.3g.

It crashed down in Arizona and was found in 1891. Over 30 tonnes of fragments have been collected since, but that's just a sliver of the estimated 25,000 tonnes that fell.

Before it came to National Museums Liverpool, it belonged to William James Lewis Abbott, a mineral dealer and gemmologist. His collection was later bought by Sir Henry Wellcome, the American-born chemist and science patron who set up laboratories, museums and expeditions. In 1981, NML acquired a large part of the Wellcome geology collections, and this fragment came with it.

The meteor fragment is currently on loan to Liverpool Central Library, where it is on display. ☄️

This intricately designed bracelet, made by T J Paris between 1870 and 1875, was made to supply the demand in Liverpool ...
06/10/2026

This intricately designed bracelet, made by T J Paris between 1870 and 1875, was made to supply the demand in Liverpool for unique, expensive pieces of jewellery.

It's typical of the bling (💅) worn by wealthy shipowners' wives and was purchased from T J Paris's shop on Lord Street.

It is significant because of its craftsmanship and design, and its story about Liverpool's lucrative jewellery trade, an offshoot of the city's successful shipping industry.

"For me, this is the most exquisite piece of jewellery in National Museums Liverpool's collections. Its intricate design was inspired by the 19th century discovery of ancient Etruscan tombs on the west coast of Italy. I love the combination of materials - the warmth of gold contrasted with the coolness of pearl and chacedony." Fiona Slattery Clark, Curator of Decorative Art, Lady Lever Art Gallery and Walker Art Gallery.

See this object and more in National Museums Liverpool at 40, now on display at World Museum📍

This Space Week, we're exploring the wonderful world of Astrolabes.This astrolabe was built around 1600-1609 in Persia. ...
06/10/2026

This Space Week, we're exploring the wonderful world of Astrolabes.

This astrolabe was built around 1600-1609 in Persia. The maker’s name, which is engraved on it, is Muhammad Mahdi. Part of the physical sciences collections at the World Museum, bought in 1967, this astrolabe is currently on display in the Space and Time Gallery on the fifth floor.

The name comes from the Greek word astrolábos, meaning “star-taker” or “star searcher”. What is most fascinating about these small instruments is that they happen to be one of the most sophisticated and enduring computing devices in the history of technology prior to the contemporary era.

Originally conceived in outline by ancient Greek astronomers, this device was developed and repeatedly improvised by Medieval Islamic scientists. Astrolabes had hundreds of uses including mapping the exact position of stars and planets for navigation, determining the date, calculating time and even measuring heights and areas.

It has been said that nearly every instrument in astronomy is a development of the astrolabe. Today we need separate devices like a watch, a calendar, a surveying instrument and a navigating app connected to a satellite to do the work this small pocket device could do on its own.

This versatility made these devices very important to the Islamic world. Because there was a community need to determine the exact time for the five daily obligatory prayers in Islam and facing Mecca is a requirement for the prayers, early Muslims made great advances in astronomy, mathematics and geography, to address these religious needs.

🗳️ The votes are in! Over 2,500 of you chose your favourite object for inclusion in the National Museums Liverpool at 40...
05/10/2026

🗳️ The votes are in! Over 2,500 of you chose your favourite object for inclusion in the National Museums Liverpool at 40 exhibition, and we're so excited to share the results with you.

It was a three-way race between the CSS Alabama photographs, the Cuban Íreme Doll and The Batman film poster - which one do you think came out on top? Tell us your predictions below.

We'll be revealing the winning object very soon... 👀

🚀 🌕 Space week starts today! 🚀 🌕To kickstart the week, we've teamed up with Patrick Kiernan, Planetarium Education Offic...
03/10/2026

🚀 🌕 Space week starts today! 🚀 🌕

To kickstart the week, we've teamed up with Patrick Kiernan, Planetarium Education Officer at World Museum, to create a guide to this month's night sky, so you can make some discoveries of your own. 🔭

Visible all night in October in the constellation Cetus is the ringed planet, Saturn. On the 4 October it is at its closest to Earth (1262 million kilometres away) and at its brightest at magnitude +0.3. On the 23 and 24 October, the moon will pass nearby.

A challenging planet this month is Neptune; it is to be found in Pisces but at magnitude +7.7 you will need binoculars to see it. The ice giant sets around 5:30am.

Seven times brighter than Neptune and just on the edge of visibility at magnitude +5.6 is the other ice-giant, Uranus. It is to be found in Ta**us and rises around 7:30pm.

For the night owls Mars is next to rise, around 0:30am. It is magnitude +1.0 and found in Cancer – which form urban gardens is quite a faint constellation. On the 5 October the moon passes above and to the left of the planet. On the 11 October, Mars moves through the open cluster Praesepe (the Bee-hive cluster) in Cancer. This will make for a lovely sight in binoculars; red Mars shining amongst a scattering of white stars!

The last planet to appear this month is Jupiter. Rising around 2am it shines at a lovely magnitude –1.9. on the 6 October, the waning crescent moon will be found above the planet. Binoculars will show its four largest moons; watch them over a few nights and you will see them change position as they orbit the planet.

This month we also have the Orionid meteor shower! Visible throughout most of the month they peak on the nights of the 21 and 22 October. They will be best seen after the moon has set in the early morning. The shower is made from debris left by comet Halley.

📸 Kees Scherer

Address

William Brown Street
Liverpool
L38EN

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Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
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