National Emergency Services Museum

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5

520 reviews

Excellent

377

Very good

110

Average

25

Poor

5

Terrible

3

David O

1 contribution

Great morning’s entertainment

Jun 2022

On a rainy Sunday we went to the National Emergency service museum with our 2 5 year old grandchild, we pre booked the entrance fees with the fire engine ride. I can highly recommend this museum very hands on, you can try on different costumes, play driving game. The ride on a real fire engine around the streets of Sheffield was excellent. The kids loved it. The whole experience was excellent value for money.

Written June 5, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

A fantastic day for all ages!

Thank you so much for the positive review and your lovely comments; we really appreciate your support. I'm delighted to know you all enjoyed your visit and made the most of everything we have to offer, including our always-popular fire engine rides. I'm glad you found it value for money too. As an independent, self-funded museum we have to earn enough to keep us going but always do our best to keep our prices fair and affordable, so thank you. I hope you will make the most of your year ticket and we will see you again very soon.

Written June 15, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

John Hipwell

1 contribution

NESM BRILLIANT

May 2021 • Family

We booked tickets for 30/05/21 for myself,my wife and my 8 year old son as my son has autism but is obsessed with all types of emergency vehicles. Absolutely brilliant place to visit the staff are so friendly and helpful. The exhibits are true history with loads of historical information. Lots of interactive exhibits and access to vehicle interiors. A new well lit lift has been fitted for disabled access to all floors.
A fantastic 2 1/2 hours spent inside the museum and the tickets last a full year so pay once and visit as often as wanted in a year without having to pay again. I would recommend this place to anyone who is interested in the history of the museum, history of fire fighting and emergency vehicles. BRILLIANT FANTASTIC 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Written June 2, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

National Emerge... S

Hi Hippy2013, Glad to hear you enjoyed your visit. We are especially pleased your found our staff to be friendly and helpful and you liked our new exhibits. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Written June 3, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Augusta E

12 contributions

Jul 2022 • Family

Myself, my three year old son and two friends visited on a Sunday morning for the first time. I didn't know what to expect but my god, we were blown away. We stayed over three hours and had the best time. Every display is interactive and has something for all ages. There is so much variety here; the adults loved the activities just as much as my son.
I think ticket prices are reasonable, especially as you can visit for the year after only paying once! The extra £2 per person spent on the fire engine ride was well worth it and loved by all!
The cafe had a good range of sandwiches and paninis and was very reasonable. We all four ate and drank for £22; giving us enough energy to go back round and explore some more!
The staff/volunteers were all very helpful and engaging.
There is no on-site parking, but we pre-booked a car park three mins walk away (Bridge Street).
I cannot fault this museum and we will be returning very soon to have more fun!

Written July 25, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Super little museum for children who love all things emergency

What an amazing review! Thank you so much for your lovely comments and for taking the time to share your feedback. It makes us so happy to hear from such satisfied visitors. We aim to make sure there's something from all ages to enjoy at our museum, with plenty of hands-on activities to engage with, so it was brilliant to hear that was your experience and you all had such a lovely day. We also pride ourselves on offering a warm welcome to all our visitors, so your comments about our team are most welcome and I will pass those on. As an independent, self-funded museum we have to make enough money to keep ourselves going but we do our utmost to make sure a day at NESM is still affordable so it was lovely to read that this was your view too. Thank you again and we look forward to seeing you again very soon.

Written July 29, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

longrat

Sheffield6 contributions

Jun 2022 • Family

This museum has been lovingly improved and added to over the years. An adult is given a year ticket which is great because there is no way that all the information can be taken in on the first visit. Families with small people who love dressing up will also live this. Plenty of vehicles to climb into.

Written June 11, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Great family day at Emergency vehicles museum at Sheffield.

Thanks for the lovely review; I'm so pleased to hear you enjoyed your visit and made the most of everything that we have to offer. We aim to make sure that NESM is very interactive with plenty for visitors to climb in and try on, so I'm pleased to know that was your experience. You're quite right that we have done a lot of work over the last couple of years to improve the museum, from installing a lift to launching several new exhibitions, so it's lovely to know that those improvements have made a difference to your visitor experience. I hope you will get plenty of use from your year ticket and that we will see you again soon.

Written June 15, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sarah T

Sidmouth, UK12 contributions

Aug 2021 • Family

All of the sections were informative and laid out really well both from years back to present day, with an excellent display of old uniforms and vehicles, staff very welcoming. Lots of interesting displays for kids and adults covering all emergency services. Covid measures in place were impeccable plenty of hand sanitizer at each interactive display, good refreshments and shop available, all in all a great family day out and if you are 999 staff you get in reduced rate and can visit any time within a year, I was able to use my Blue Light Card as NHS staff visiting on holiday from Devon.

Written August 26, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Swanson Marginalia - to be found in Sheffield!

Thank you for taking the time to leave us such a lovely review and I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed your visit to NESM, and to our lovely city of Sheffield! We pride ourselves on offering something for all ages at our museum so it's great to know that was your experience and that you enjoyed a great day out as a family. I'm also very pleased to read your comments about the Covid measures we have in place; the safety of our visitors is a top priority so it's great to know that you felt safe visiting our museum. Many thanks again; our team really appreciates it.

Written August 31, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Dylan W

Sheffield, UK55 contributions

Sep 2021

The prime reason for visiting the museum was to see for ourselves the 'Swanson Marginalia' - it's quite famous in the story of Jack the Ripper. Swanson was one of the main policemen in charge of the case, and he wrote in the margins of his biography his thoughts of who the killer actually was. That this book / evidence is in our museum in Sheffield is important.

Something else we really liked was the beautiful original tilework still in place from over a hundred years ago. So the architecture is well worth seeing too. We happily spent a few hours there and would recommend whether you live in Sheffield or have varied interests in the different things others have said about the museum.

Written September 19, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Thank you so much for your lovely review and I'm delighted to know you enjoyed your visit. Securing the Swanson collection, and the marginalia, for Sheffield was a huge coup for us as a self-funded, independent museum so I'm pleased to hear that it was the chance to see this that brought you to our museum. I'm also happy to know that you enjoyed exploring our building. We're very proud to look after such an historic building in the heart of Sheffield and know many of our visitors love experiencing the history too. Thank you again.

Written September 22, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

cazyboot

Chesterfield, UK3 contributions

Good value day out

Jul 2021 • Family

I took my 10yr old Grandson & 8yr old Granddaughter to the NESMuseum on Saturday. I found it when looking for a wet weather day out. When I booked it I was a little worried my super tech savvy Grandkids would be bored. Not a bit!! They loved it and there was plenty to interest me too. There were dress up opportunities and lots of climbing on vehicles to keep both kiddos happy. So much information that I’m planning on using my ticket (can revisit for a year at no charge) to go back alone and look more in depth at some of the info. There’s also a small, reasonably priced cafe and gift shop that the kids enjoyed spending a fiver each in.
Good value day out with council parking across the road.

Written July 5, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Thank you for the lovely review and I'm so pleased to hear that you all enjoyed your visit to us. We pride ourselves on making sure there is something for everyone at NESM so it's always brilliant to know that we have kept both kids and adults entertained! I'm also really delighted to know that you found a visit to NESM good value and will make use of your annual pass. We do our best to keep our prices as low as we can but as an independent, self-funded museum we rely on our visitor income to survive. So thank you for support. We look forward to welcoming you and your grandchildren to the museum again soon.

Written July 7, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Vickie

Bradford, UK37 contributions

Excellent day out!

Feb 2023 • Family

Family of four with a 2 and 11 year old. We were quite impressed overall with the museum. There were a good amount of interactive points, it was great that children could get in some of the vehicles. My two year old is obsessed with emergency vehicles (main reason for our visit) and he just loved them all.
The toilets we used were clean. The areas all seemed really well maintained. The trip on the fire engine was thoroughly enjoyed and lasted just the right length of time I'd say at 3-5 minutes. The staff all pretty friendly.
There was an extra addition when we went of some snakes which my 11 year old enjoyed holding. Slightly random though, not entirely sure why they were there.
I'd say the only downside was the cafe area, the tables were really quite dirty with food stuck between them etc. The food itself was OK, a tad long of a wait.
Parking was great, just across the road and £2 for 4 hours on a Sunday.
Would highly recommend, we had such a fantastic time and will be back!

Written February 19, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Thank you so much for your lovely comments and for the 5-star review. We really appreciate you taking the time to support us and I'm so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your visit so much. We pride ourselves on making sure there's something for all ages at NESM, including plenty to get hands-on with, so it was great to know that was your experience. I should also mention, you joined us during our Arms and Armour weekend event, which explains the snakes. They were a part of our 'armour in nature' display and not, sadly, a regular fixture at the museum! We'll also take on board your comments about the coffee shop. As we make all our food to order it can mean a slighter longer wait during busy times, and we always try to communicate that when we can. But we strive to high standards so will definitely look at how we can better manage this when we are busy. Thank you again for your feedback and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Written February 24, 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

emmapQ6053YJ

Sheffield, UK2 contributions

Family trip out

Sep 2022 • Family

I had a family trip out today with my 3 children and mother. Havnt visited for at least 6/7 yrs and the visit was just as good if not better. The museum is well presented, well preserved, thoroughly clean and has a variety of interests for all. I found it a safe, educating and fun afternoon for us all, (me 33, child one- 13 child two- 10 child three- 4, mother 67. We ate dinner at the cafe which was reasonably priced considering the quality of food and drink. I would 100% recommend to everyone! There will be something you will learn and take away with you. The 2 members of staff (reception and cafe) who served us were very welcoming and friendly, presented smartly in uniform and had much patience when waiting for the children to decide what souvenir they wanted ha ha. Pleasant visit and lovely memories made. Thank you 😊

Written September 2, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

What a lovely review. Thank you so much for your comments and for taking the time to share your visitor experience, we really appreciate it. We aim to make sure there's something for everyone at NESM, whatever their age, so it's great to know that you all enjoyed your time with us so much. We also pride ourselves on offering a very warm welcome to all our visitors, and I will pass on your comments about our staff to our amazing team. I'm also pleased to hear you found us value for money; as a self-funded, independent museum we have to earn enough to keep up going but do our best to keep a day at NESM affordable. Thank you again and I hope we will see you all again soon.

Written September 28, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

John C

1 contribution

Great visit.

Dec 2022

Our visit coincided with the visit of Santa and a 1940s weekend. The military re enactors were very informative as were the individuals stationed about the museum providing information about wartime living and Sheffield’s experience of the Blitz. There was excellent entertainment provided by a period entertainer but, unfortunately, the room in which he performed was monopolised by the 1940s re enactors and it was difficult to participate. Other than that, a great visit.

Written December 12, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a positive review. It's much appreciated. I'm so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your visit and had the chance to discover our Wartime Christmas weekend. We also appreciate your feedback about the entertainment room and will feed that into our thinking for 2023. I hope we will see you again soon.

Written December 16, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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Showing results 1-10 of 516

carnival79

Sheffield, UK43 contributions

Do they run the fire engine rides every weekend?

m_wakefield

Sheffield, UK3 contributions

Fire Engine Rides are every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00

hylandterry

Huddersfield, UK31 contributions

How do we get from railway station to museum. We are visiting tommorow. Thank you

BeachandBeyond

Ontario, Canada108 contributions

It is not too far to walk, although Sheffield is a bit hilly; it's maybe 30 minutes walk from the train. Go through the city center (Fargate etc) towards the University of Sheffield roughly northwest from the train station. A cab (picked up at the train station) would only be about a 5 minute drive). If the weather is nice I would walk since there is lots to see along the way.

bren711

Sheffield, UK

Is this museum suitable for the elderly to walk around and do you have parking facilities, as I would be in a 10 seater minibus. Thanks

Andrew L

Gainsborough, UK9 contributions

The museum does not have a lift due to the age of the building but while they refurbish each area they are doing there best to make it as mobility friendly as possible. They have places seats on each floor so you can have a rest and the staff are always willing to help as much as they can.

seamad2015

Nottingham, UK1 contribution

I have been trying to find out the opening times for 'THE SHEFFIELD BLITZ' in the National Emergency Museum. I remember the blitz very well it & I'm looking forward to seeing how they have put this exhibition together.. All the answer phones are really out of date & refer to events last January. However, we are going & crossed fingers it is open when we get there.

ModestlyAmazing

Sheffield, UK273 contributions

Hi, I've had a look for you. It opens from the 18th of Feb and it's a permanent feature by the sounds of it. And the opening times of the museum are 10am-4pm. Hope this helps! :)