Name: Spies, Lies and Deception
Start: 2025-11-29
End: 2026-08-31
Location: IWM North

29 November 2025 to 31 August 2026

IWM North

Families

Free event

Spies, Lies and Deception is a free, family-friendly exhibition at IWM North about deception and espionage from the First World War to the present day.

Praise for Spies, Lies and Deception at IWM London:

A fascinating look at the tricks, and dangers, of espionage.

★★★★★ The Telegraph

A whole century of espionage, misdirection, subterfuge, camouflage [and] double-dealing.

★★★★ Evening Standard

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Make memories together

In the undercover world of spies, lies and deception, nothing is what it seems. Everyone has something to hide.

Explore how daring plots of deception have changed the course of conflict, how spies have been exposed and the costs of being both the deceiver and the deceived.

Young recruits can visit the “Mission Room” to embark on a top-secret exhibition trail, piecing together information to find out if they have what it takes to succeed in the world of spies. The reading age for Spies, Lies and Deception is 8+, but the exhibition is also suitable for younger children to explore with their parents and carers. This exhibition will take between 45 and 60 minutes to enjoy as part of your visit to IWM North.

Come in and find out what it takes to survive and thrive in this hidden world.

Example objects

'Most Secret' Messages

A decoy ‘Most Secret’ message from Ewen Montagu to the Naval Attaché in Madrid asking him to recover papers of ‘great importance
and secrecy’ from the body of ‘Major Martin’, as part of Operation Mincemeat. Montagu intended for the secret papers to fall into German hands, as they contained false information.
Writing secret messages

Box of matches containing one match specially adapted for writing secret messages. Double agent Eddie Chapman, who was sent to spy on Britain in the Second World War, was equipped with matches like these.
Concealing information

Hollow battery made during the 1960s for Secret Intelligence Service agents to hide reels of miniature film. SIS is also known as MI6.
Hidden weapons

Pencil concealing a hidden blade, designed and made in one of Special Operations Executive’s secret workshops. The blade could be removed from inside the pencil using a spiral of twine circled around it.
Footprint overshoes

Footprint overshoes like these were created for Special Operations Executive agents operating in South-East Asia during the Second World War. Strapped on top of the wearer’s shoes, they could disguise both someone’s footprints and the direction they were walking in.

Human stories

SOE agent Noor Inayat Khan

In June 1943, Special Operations Executive (SOE) operative Noor Inayat Khan became the first female wireless operator sent into Occupied France. By the time she arrived, many of the agents she was sent to join up with had already been arrested. German Intelligence had taken radios from captured agents and used them to trick SOE HQ into helping them track down more agents. Although Khan successfully transmitted messages to London for four months, she was eventually arrested and killed.

SOE Headquarters were responsible for preparing agents for missions and keeping in touch with their families while they were away, often lying about what their loved ones were really doing.

This exhibition invites you to consider the human cost of deception plots. What happens when we are deceived, and who pays the price?

Plotting clandestine operations

A family, two parents and two children try on 'spy disguises', trench coats and black hats at IWM North.

Explore some of the most ingenious, surprising and daring plots from the two World Wars, through the height of Cold War espionage to the present day.

Dive into the now famous story of Operation Mincemeat, the audacious Second World War plot. By planting a dead body with fake military documents off the Spanish coast, the operation successfully fooled German High Command about the location of the next major Allied assault. Objects from the operation will illustrate this story of trickery, including mastermind Ewen Montagu’s private papers and his keepsake of a dinghy’s oar from the submarine which deposited the body.

Practical information

© IWM
Getting here

Address: IWM North, The Quays, Trafford Wharf Road, Manchester, M17 1TZ
What3Words: ///wounds.join.yappy
By tram: IWM North is easily accessible via the tram. Use tram stops MediaCityUK or Imperial War Museum.
Parking: IWM North's car park is open daily from 7am to 7pm. First-come, first-served basis (charges apply).

How to get to IWM North
© IWM
Eating and drinking

The IWM North café is located on the ground floor. Open daily from 10am to 4:30pm.
Offers a delicious selection of beverages and seasonal food with local influences, including cakes, deli sandwiches, salads and hot meals.
Offers to suit all the family.

The Café at IWM North
© IWM
IWM Spies Shop

In the secret world of spies, lies and deception, nothing is what it seems.
Over the last hundred years of conflict there have been a vast array of gadgets, disguises, tools and tricks used to create and maintain deception. Explore our range of spy gadgets and gifts.
The Spies gift range is available in the IWM Online Shop and in branch at the IWM North shop.

Spies, Lies and Deception gifts