To coincide with our new exhibition, Leodis: 400 years of Leeds in the Leeds Libraries Collection, which runs from Wednesday 16 September – Wednesday 11 November, Leeds Libraries are hosting a wide variety of workshops and events. All events are free but must be booked in advance.

Maud Hummerston: the Storyteller of Leeds, Thursday 17 September, Leeds Central Library, 2.00 – 3.00 pm
Join us for this talk on the life and legacy of Maud Hummerston, first female librarian and first Children’s Librarian for Leeds Libraries. We will also explore the archival journey that researching her life has taken us on, as well as the wider Hummerston family. 

Pudsey Local History Workshop, Friday 18 September, Pudsey Community Hub and Library, 10.00am
Join staff from the Heritage & Research Library for an informal session exploring the history of Pudsey through unique collections available at the Central Library.

Alice Mann – the Radical Woman who Beat the Establishment, Wednesday 23 September, Leeds Central Library, 1.00 – 2.00pm 
Alice Mann ran her own business and kept it going, thriving even, after her husband died, something unusual for a woman to do. She was also a rarity for the time, a woman involved in the dangerous world of radical politics, so committed she was willing to pay the heavy price of prison. Join author Chris Nickson for a look back over her remarkable life.

Garforth Local History Workshop, Tuesday 29 September, Garforth Community Hub and Library, 2.00pm
Join staff from the Heritage & Research Library for an informal session exploring the history of Garforth through unique collections available at the Central Library.

Play, Publish, Progress: How Leeds Led the World, Tuesday 6 October, Leeds Central Library, 6.00-7.00pm
Self-publishing has always been an important part of print and, in its 400 years of existence, Leeds has played a leading role. Join us as we take a trip through the history of self-publishing in the city. 

Without this history, much of the media we see today would have been very different. Self-publishing – from The Leeds Mercury to music and football fanzines – were the social media of their day, put Leeds on the map, and shaped the city we live in today. 

Ralph and John Went to Church, Wednesday 7 October, Leeds Central Library, 6.00 -7.00 pm
On February 1 1708 a remarkable thing happened – Ralph and John went to church. Ralph was Ralph Thoresby, the Leeds antiquarian and diarist. John was John Lewis, a servant and the first recorded Black person in Leeds. How were the two linked? What brought John to Leeds? And what connections did Ralph have to the Caribbean? In this talk Danny Friar answers those questions and more.

Holt Park Local History Workshop, Wednesday 14 October, Holt Park Community Hub and Library, 10.00am
Join staff from the Heritage & Research Library for an informal session exploring the history of Holt Park through unique collections available at the Central Library.

The Sights and Sounds of the Leeds Tercentenary, 1926, Wednesday 14 October, Leeds Central Library, 1.00 – 2.00 pm
In this illustrated talk Robert Demaine will look back 100 years to an earlier anniversary in the city’s history: the Leeds Tercentenary of 1926. Still recovering from the First World War and in the midst of a trade depression and industrial unrest the leaders of Leeds were determined to promote a sense of civic pride by showcasing its wealth of cultural, commercial and industrial resources. An attractive programme of events was staged across the city over ten days in July. Leeds was transformed with street decorations and every day filled with music. Join us as we wander the streets and listen to the sounds of the Tercentenary.

In Search of Morley Museum, Monday 19 October, Morley Community Hub and Library, 1.00 -2.00 pm
Sixty years ago, Morley Museum closed its doors for the last time. Sited upstairs in the Morley Library building, the museum housed a wealth of artefacts from the local area and beyond – a cannonball, a cradle, a mantrap… But the story doesn’t end there. In this talk, we seek out the history of these artefacts and attempt to rediscover what happened to them.

Piety and Profit: Contrasting Careers in Stained Glass, Wednesday 21 October, Leeds Central Library, 1.00 – 2.00 pm
Victorian Leeds was home to a flourishing stained-glass industry, yet the men behind it were remarkably different. This talk by Samantha Yates explores the lives and careers of William Pape and John James Kayll, two figures who helped shape Leeds’ stained-glass trade in the late nineteenth century.

Wetherby Local History Workshop, Friday 23 October, Wetherby Community Hub and Library, 2.00pm
Join staff from the Heritage & Research Library for an informal session exploring the history of Wetherby through unique collections available at the Central Library.

What’s Leeds GOTH to do with it?, Saturday 24 October, Leeds Central Library, 2.00 – 3.00pm
Leeds is where goth culture began, giving birth to a globally significant movement that emerged in a dark, post-industrial city, blending music and literature with post-punk politics.

Leeds resident Mark Silver is a local heritage enthusiast, artist and founder of Leeds Nomad, which combines his passions for walking and urban history with creativity to bring little-known stories to life. He has helped to popularise this important part of the city’s heritage. Here, he describes his journey into the dark side.

Witchcraft & the Supernatural in Leeds Libraries Collections, Wednesday 4 November, Leeds Central Library, 6.00 – 7.00pm
Join Heritage and Research Librarian Sally Hughes to delve into some of the weird and wonderful items in Leeds Libraries’ collections about witches, spectres and hauntings. This talk will be followed by a chance to view some of the items discussed.

400 Years of Leeds through the Collections of Leeds Museums and Galleries, Thursday 5 November, Leeds Central Library, 1.00 – 2.00pm
To celebrate Leeds 400, join Assistant Community Curator Pat Bourne, from Leeds Museums and Galleries, as he takes you through his personal choice of museum objects that reflect 400 years of history since Leeds got its charter from King Charles I in 1626.

Beckett Street Cemetery: Solving History Mysteries, Saturday 7 November, Leeds Central Library, 2.00 – 3.00pm
Join us for an illustrated informal talk by Jeanette, researcher and assistant tour guide at Beckett Street Cemetery, Leeds. Now ‘home’ to 180,000 people, Beckett Street Cemetery is significant to the history and growth of Leeds.

Jeanette has turned detective to uncover their stories and solve the mysteries of previously unknown lives. She will share some fascinating examples!

Woodbine Lizzie’s Leeds, Wednesday 11 November, Leeds Central Library, 2.00 – 3.00pm
In this workshop, led by historian Professor Laura King, participants will be ask to share any knowledge of Woodbine Lizzie, and to explore documents which tell us bits about her life in Stanningley, Leeds city centre and Wakefield. We’ll map out Woodbine Lizzie’s Leeds and explore how more could be learnt about her. Whether you’ve never heard of Woodbine Lizzie, or know something interesting about her, please come along and take part in this interactive workshop and think about who gets to be part of the history of the city.

Templars of Neusum, Friday 20 November, Leeds Central Library, 1.00 – 2.00pm
Nowadays we associate the Knights Templar with crusades, conspiracies, and Dan Brown. But eight hundred years ago, just downstream from Leeds, they were running a large-scale sheep farm — one whose wool was exported not locally but to places most of those working the land could not have begun to imagine. In doing so, they helped establish a tradition of large-scale wool trading that eventually made Leeds one of the great wool cities of the world. Little remains of those ordinary people — but Leeds artist Jon Eland has taken a deep dive into what survives. Join him on a journey back twice as far as the charter Leeds is currently celebrating.

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