This week on the Secret Library, local history Librarian, Antony Ramm, brings you three of his favourite stories from Leeds’ rich pantomime tradition. Oh yes he does! In May of 1986, J. Ingle of Otley wrote to the Yorkshire Evening Post to ask how long pantomimes had been taking place in Leeds – and was…
Category: Entertainment
Thrones & Tomes: Exploring the History Behind Game of Thrones
by Josh Flint, Local and Family History, Central Library Leeds Central Library is excited to be presenting the Game of Thrones-inspired Thrones & Tomes event. This fun-filled event will include games, a quiz, authentic 15th century music and talks on medieval subjects including food and nutrition and the dreaded sea-monsters of the middle ages. This…
Ballet Memories at The Grand Theatre
By Karen Downham, Local and Family History, Leeds Central Library One of the best things about working in Local and Family History is the wide variety of topics that we can deal with, and not knowing what you will be asked on a day to day basis. It is always rewarding to help people find what they…
“Abysmal Performance of Depravity Rock”: The Sex Pistols in Leeds, December 1976
by Antony Ramm, Local and Family History, Central Library Forty-years ago this week, the Sex Pistols finally began their 1976 UK tour. “Finally,” because – as the BBC has remembered this week – all but three of the projected dates on that tour were cancelled following the band’s notorious TV appearance on Bill Grundy’s Today show. Those…
Stories, Songs and Proclamations
By Karen Downham, Local & Family History Library This week in the blog we will be looking at Broadsides, and exploring some of those in the Local & Family History Collection. A broadside, in its simplest definition, is a sheet of paper printed only on one side. They were often posters announcing events, proclamations, and advertisements,…
Illuminating the Rich History of “Light Night” in Leeds
by Antony Ramm, Local and Family History, Central Library No doubt most readers of our blog will be spending this evening enjoying one of the many wonderful art events happening around the city centre as part of the annual Light Night celebrations. And most readers will probably already be aware of how those celebrations started –…
Theatres Through Time: Tate Wilkinson
by Antony Ramm, Local and Family History, Central Library Leeds has a long and rich theatrical history, stretching back to at least 1722, when Ralph Thoresby noted, in his diary – and with some disapproval! – the appearance of a group of players in the town. The collections and books available in our Local and…
The Chimney Corner: Secret Books From The Secret Library #1
by Antony Ramm, Local and Family History, Central Library In a new series, we’ll be taking an occasional look at individual items from our Collections. The title, if not the exact intention, of this series – The Chimney Corner – has been taken from a charming volume published by this Library Service in the 1920s and 30s: “a…
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