The Atkinson is Southport’s home for music, theatre, art, literature and history. You can find us in the middle of the iconic Lord Street and just 3 minutes’ walk from Southport train station. We offer an exciting and varied destination for families, cultural tourists and arts enthusiasts alike.
Museum
Our stunning Egyptology museum shows what life was like in ancient Egypt at the time of the Pharaohs. Interactive displays include the ‘Weighing of the Heart’ ceremony, X-raying an Ibis mummy and a hieroglyphic jigsaw wall.
Take part in our NEW ancient Egyptian A.R. experience, The Ba Bird Tour, bringing artefacts in the museum to life. To take part, scan the QR codes in the museum with your phone.
Our local history museum, Between Land & Sea, tells the stories of the people who have lived and worked along Sefton’s coast. Interactive displays include sending a digital postcard, finding ships using sonar and matching birds with their song.
Download a variety of trails to follow in our Museum. Print them at home and bring them with you, don’t forget a pencil and something to lean on! Ba-Bird Hunt / Museum Trail / I Spy Trail / Shapes Trail
Exhibition: Rui Matsunaga
Rui Matsunaga is a Japanese artist who is influenced by folklore and story-telling. Her intricate, small-scale paintings are populated with a bizarre cast of characters; frogs, rabbits, foxes and mythical creatures. Her references range from early Renaissance paintings to the manga films of Hayao Miyazaki. More information here.
Shop
Local artist Ruth Spillane has created beautifully detailed colouring books of Lord Street and The Atkinson. A brilliant activity to take home, or sit outdoors and colour on location!
Under 16s are invited to submit a photo of their finished drawing to southportdrawingcomp@gmail.com to be in with a chance of winning a £50 Waterstones voucher! Competition ends 7 June 2021.
Illustration packs are available from The Atkinson’s shop for £4.00.
Children’s Library
Southport Library’s showpiece is the extended children’s section which includes a ship, specially made for the library, named after Kathleen – a real fishing boat built in Southport around 1900. There is also a teenage area.
The popular Story & Rhyme Time sessions are resuming Wednesday 2 June. The following sessions will take place once a week on a Wednesday at 11:30am. The perfect free event for families with little ones that are pre-school age.
Spaces are limited to 7 adults maximum.
Adults will be asked to keep their face covering on and are not invited to sing along.
The sessions will not involve instruments or colouring until further notice.
Pre-booking is required on on a first come, first served basis.
To book please visit Southport Library in person or call 0151 934 2118.
Café
A Great Little Place award-winning cafés are passionate about great coffee and delicious fresh food. The perfect lunchtime destination for your day trip to The Atkinson.
In the relaxed atmosphere, you can relish meltingly good paninis, delectable hand-made cakes, fresh soups (made from an abundance of vegetables from their market garden) and mouth-watering pastries. The coffee is expertly made from a blend of traditional flame roasted coffee beans from Fair Trade providers across the world.
Find out more
Families are at the heart of what we do; see the full offer for all ages here.
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