On Wednesday the 11th March we have a talk on ‘Working-Class Women’s Autobiographies and the History of Everyday Life.’ This talk will be given by Dr Claire Martin, a Lecturer at The University of Leeds. This article will highlight interesting items from the Leeds Libraries Collection that detail the everyday life of working-class women and…
Author: Leeds Libraries
The Story of Hey’s Brewery Women’s Football Team in 1921
This week on the Secret Library we hear from Josh Flint on the tumultuous year that Hey’s Brewery Women’s Football team had in 1921. 1921 was a fascinating year for Women’s Football and Hey’s Brewery Women’s Football team encapsulated this, as they spent most of the year playing in front of enormous crowds and ended…
The West Riding Radical Press and Leeds Other Paper
This week on the Secret Library we hear from John Boocock on the history of radical publishing in Leeds and the West Riding, from the 19th-century to the Leeds Other Paper in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. This will be the subject of John’s upcoming talk at the Central Library (February 19) – further details…
Three Leeds Architects: W.H. Thorp, William Hill and Percy Robinson
Next Tuesday, the Central Library (in partnership with the West Yorkshire Victorian Society) welcomes prominent historian Janet Douglas, who will be delivering a talk on some lesser-known local architects of the Victorian and Edwardian period: W.H. Thorp, William Hill and Percy Robinson. Here we present some brief biographical details of those architects, along with some…
Talking Rubbish
Do you remember the dustmen and their carts? Then join us at 2pm on Monday January 27, in the Sanderson Room at the Central Library for a ‘rubbish’ story – literally! Talking Rubbish is a visual journey down Memory Lane – discover how rubbish collection has changed through the years and the importance of recycling today….
Male Homosexuality in Britain, 1954-70: The Leeds Link
As part of LGBT History Month in February, Leeds-born writer John-Pierre Joyce will give a talk and read from his book Odd Men Out: Male Homosexuality in Britain from Wolfenden to Gay Liberation, 1954-1970. Here, he takes a look at Leeds and its people at a time of immense social and political change for gay…
Much More Than Books: Explorations in our Special Collections
This week, Philip Wilde explores some of the more unusual items held in our vast Collections currently on display. The Special Collections here at Leeds Central Library comprises of some 17,000 items. The vast majority, of course, are books. However, the collection holds much more than books. Here we shall talk about just a…
Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens: A Brief History
This week, Kyle Thomason, a heritage volunteer at the Central Library, writes about the long lost Zoological Gardens in Headingley. The Leeds Zoological and Botanical Gardens were unknown to me until a few months ago. However, when I was younger I regularly saw what I thought was a mini Castle, over grown with no information…
