A scratchy recording of troops singing It’s A Long Way To Tipperary haunted my visit to the Imperial War Museum North.

The first sound you hear entering the museum, it accompanies grainy footage of fresh-faced young soldiers marching to their fate; an image particularly poignant during this year’s centenary of the First World War.

The Imperial War Museum (IWM) – telling the story of those who lived, fought and died in conflicts over the past century – is marking the centenary with a four-year cultural programme. At IWM North, artistic reactions to the conflict include Ypres, 1915, Gilbert Rogers’ huge painting depicting wounded soldiers, on display for the first time in 90 years.

Also at the museum is a First World War revolver belonging to JRR Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, who fought in the Somme in 1916. His harrowing experiences of the battle, which led to him being hospitalised with trench fever, influenced his mythical Middle Earth stories. The revolver is on display ahead of a major new exhibition From Street to Trench which opens in April.

Overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal, in an area heavily bombed during the Second World War, the striking IWM North building comprises three shards representing conflict on land, water and air. We climbed to the top of the 55m-high Air Shard, with panoramic views of Salford Quays and the Manchester skyline – I tried to sneak a peek at the new Coronation Street set nearby – before entering the curved Earth Shard housing exhibition spaces and galleries.

Among the items salvaged from conflict are the field gun that fired the first shell of the First World War, on August 22, 1914, near Binche in Belgium. The gun later received a direct hit, killing one British Army crew member and injuring four others, and remained in action until the end of the war.

Symbols of more recent conflicts include a seven-metre high section of twisted steel, recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center after 9/11, and the remains of a car hit in a 2007 Baghdad bombing.

The museum tells the remarkable personal stories of those caught up in war; artefacts range from possessions of Edith Cavell, the nurse executed for helping Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied France in the First World War, to the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross of Simon Cupples, a British platoon commander in Afghanistan who crawled to within 15 metres of heavy Taliban machine gunfire to save the lives of several men.

There are soldiers’ letters to sweethearts; labels from evacuees’ suitcases; Kate Adie’s notebook from Sarajevo war reports; and a doll made by a child survivor of Bergen-Belsen.

Every hour or so the walls are filled with giant images and surround sound immersing you in the Big Picture Show, a 360-degree audiovisual presentation of the IWM’s world-renowned collections of photography, art and recordings.

After lunch in the WaterShard cafe, overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal, we crossed a footbridge to the neighbouring complex of shops, restaurants, bars and smart apartments at Salford Quays. With the BBC’s MediaCityUK firmly established, and the new Corrie set, this vibrant waterfront site has brought the once-derelict docklands to life in spectacular fashion. Within one square mile there’s culture, history, heritage, sport and discount shopping at the Lowry Outlet Centre.

The Lowry, named after Salford’s famous artist son, is a striking structure with two theatres, galleries, bars, a cafe and restaurant. The Lowry gallery is home to the world’s largest collection of his work, from early sketches and family portraits to familiar industrial scenes depicting hunched ‘matchstick men’ pouring out of factory gates.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner in the Lowry Restaurant, busy with diners arriving for War Horse. I followed red onion and goats cheese tart with roast vegetable Wellington, bashed neeps and bubble and squeak, and the cheese board to finish.

The Quays lights twinkled as we headed to the Old Trafford Lodge hotel, at Lancashire County Cricket Ground, where our room overlooked the famous pitch.

With various suites and executive boxes, Emirates Old Trafford is used for conferences and events, including weddings, as well as drawing in cricket spectators.

The Pavilion retains the original Victorian facade, and suites include the Members Lounge, highlighting the building’s heritage with high ceilings, arch windows and a trophy cabinet.

We were bowled over by our visit to the Quays; one of the North’s shimmering jewels.

Factfile

  • The Imperial War Museum North is at The Quays, Trafford Park, Manchester. It is open daily, 10am-5pm. Ring (0161) 836 4000 or visitiwm.org.uk.
  • The Lowry Art and Entertainment Centre is at The Quays, Salford. Ring (0161) 876 2121or visit thelowry.com.
  • The Old Trafford Lodge is at Emirates Old Trafford. Ring (0161) 8743333 or visit oldtraffordlodge.co.uk l For more about Salford Quays visit thequays.org.uk