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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Leeds Playbills
It would be a mistake to assume that the only treasures held by Local Studies libraries are all books. At Leeds Libraries our Playbills Collection is just one of our ‘non-book’ treasures. Comprising over 5000 items from the 1700s to 1998, the first record of the collection comes from the Book Purchasing Committee minutes, December…
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 Days 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…
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…
Black History in Leeds
Series of articles exploring and highlighting Black history and heritage in Leeds, because we firmly believe #blacklivesmatter. More articles to follow – we also welcome submissions and ideas for future articles, as well as comments and corrections. Windrush Day 2020Short article exploring the arrival of the Empire Windrush at the port of Tilbury on June…
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