Marking the end of Black History month this week we are sharing three playbills from our collections featuring Pablo Fanque, Britain’s first black circus owner. Born William Darby on 28th February 1796 in Norwich he joined the circus in 1810 as an apprentice to William Batty who owned a small travelling circus. He was known as…
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National Volunteers’ Week 2022
This week (1-7 June) is Volunteers’ Week and we’re taking this opportunity both to thank our current volunteers and launch some new heritage volunteering opportunities Firstly a huge thanks to A, C, J and R for being excellent heritage volunteers. They all began pre Covid but have stuck with us through lockdowns and closures and…
Before Windrush: Black People in Leeds and Bradford, 1708 – 1948, Part II
This week on the Secret Library we hear from researcher Danny Friar, who explores the rich history of people of African heritage making Leeds and Bradford their home over a 300 year period. This is Part II of a four part series during Black History Month: the result of new research, these articles will shed…
A Garden Through Time: Headingley Zoological and Botanical Gardens
This week on the Secret Library we hear from local artist Matthew Bellwood, who talks us through a fascinating interactive local history walk, which we were very honoured to contribute resources to, primarily from Leodis, our archive of historical Leeds images… A lost landmark of Leeds has been brought back to life in A Garden…
Hidden Nature, Hidden History: Queen Square, St. George’s Field, North Street Recreation Ground, and Little Woodhouse
In our final Hidden Nature, Hidden History post for Heritage Open Day 2020 we include some notable areas just outside our City Centre walking route. We hope you’ve enjoyed the 2020 tour and learning more about the green sites we enjoy today and the history and stories behind them. Queen Square Queen Square was planned…
Local History Quiz #9: Leeds Blue Plaques
This week’s local history quiz focuses on the Leeds Civic Trust Blue Plaques of Leeds and is brought to you by librarian Louise Birch. Most of the answers can be found somewhere on this site or on our photographic archive Leodis, and you can see the full-set of answers at the bottom of the page… Q1. What…
Local History Quiz #6: People of Leeds
This week’s local history quiz focuses on famous (and not so famous) people connected to Leeds and its past over the last 400-years or so. As always, you can find most (but not all!) of the answers on the blog, with some searching. The full-set of answers can be be found at the bottom of…
Black History at Leeds Central Library
This week on the Secret Library blog we have chosen to highlight past articles exploring the rich legacy of Black communities, locally, nationally and internationally – as seen in the collections at Leeds Central Library. We shall be publishing more articles along these lines over the coming months, because we firmly believe #blacklivesmatter. A permanent…
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