Not only a local but a real national treasure, the Imperial War Museum North is an ark of artefacts and information but also of memories and attitudes related to the conflicts of this century and the last.
The main exhibition room is a flowing space with exhibits running in chronological order exploring the broader social and political contexts but also the personal minutiae of people living in or alongside war. There are cases focusing on the issues surrounding the declaration of war on Germany in 1939 (predictably enough accompanied by that oft-repeated radio announcement by Neville Chamberlain) but also those examining discontent and opposition voiced by protestors and troops alike to the invasion, and subsequent war in, Iraq.
In the second exhibition space the museum runs limited exhibits and showcases including, most recently and until the 13th of June, 'Shaped by War' an excellent photo-biography of the war photographer Don McCullin which I highly recommend taking a look at. From the rubble of post-Blitz London to the jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia, half a century of conflict and its effect on soldiers, civilians and Don himself are tracked in sometimes terrifyingly raw detail. Fantastic.
Warning though - if you are coming without kids avoid school holidays or at the weekend, when it becomes clogged with nippers.