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About

The Peace Museum explores the history and the often untold stories of peace, peacemakers, social reform and peace movements. Having occupied three small galleries in one of Bradford’s many fine Victorian buildings for the past 25 years, it is now in the process of moving to Salts Mill, Saltaire. It is unique in that it is the only accredited museum of its kind in the UK. 

Our Mission

  • Tell the stories of peace, peacemakers, and the peace movement
  • Honour the history of ‘people of peace’ – every object tells a story of someone who has tried to make the world more peaceful
  • Act as a resource for future peace-making
  • Have local, regional, national and international reach, aiming to tell diverse stories of peacemakers

Our Values

  • Our work is rooted in our collection of over 16,000 objects
  • We value teamwork, collective action and community engagement
  • We aim to be diverse, inclusive and accessible
  • We support peace-making in all its forms by telling the stories of peacemakers

We aim to engage and inspire through:

  • Items in the collection
  • Exhibitions
  • Creative learning and education activities for schools and for all sectors of the community
  • Exploring local, national and international events
  • Posing questions about equality, diversity, cohesion, peace and non-violence
  • Telling untold stories of peacemakers and peace-making
  • Telling the stories of peace-makers now who campaign on modern issues, showing peace-making as an active endeavour

Our Visitors will:

  • Discover themed exhibitions about peace and peacemakers derived from the largest accredited collection of peace artefacts and stories in the UK
  • Be challenged to think differently about violence and non-violent responses to it
  • Learn about experiences of conflict and peace, here and abroad
  • See that peace-making is an active endeavour and learn about people who are still working to make the world a more peaceful place
  • Encounter knowledgeable, available and enthusiastic staff and volunteers
  • Discover a hidden gem

Our Team

Joe Brook, Director

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Joe joined our team in February 2024 as our new Director.

 Charlotte Houlahan, Curator (she/her)

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Charlotte joined the team in April 2014 as Collections Intern. Charlotte took up the role of Curator in February 2018. She manages and cares for the 16,000 objects the Museum holds, using her experience and professional qualification. She curates the exhibitions and temporary exhibition programme. She also assists with the daily management of the museum and the outreach programme.

Jude Wright, Choices Project Manager (she/her)

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Jude joined the team in June 2015 as Project Manager for our ‘Choices’ project. Jude is responsible for the planning and delivery of the project, which includes a specially designed touring exhibition and workshop programme, and visits a huge range of people, from schools to community groups, women’s and parents groups.

Liz Costello, Learning Facilitator (she/her)

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Liz joined the team to help deliver our growing education and learning programme. She currently delivers sessions in schools, helping to engage pupils in topics related to peace and peace-making.

Áine McKenny, Marketing & Communications Coordinator (she/her)

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Áine joined the team in December 2023 as our Marketing & Communications Coordinator.

Irene Legg, IMAGINE Project Administrator (she/her)

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Irene joined the team in September 2022 as the Project Administrator for our new premises project. She is helping to prepare the museum to move premises, as well as ensuring that we will be operational when we open in our new home.

We are fortunate to have a number of volunteers and students on work placement who assist with the work here at the Museum. We would like to thank our previous and current volunteers for their valuable assistance. Visit our Join Our Team page to learn more about volunteering:

Please note – we are not accepting new volunteers at this time.