This last Wednesday, to mark National Libraries Week, four of our Local and Family History team, plus one intrepid volunteer, delivered a talk offering a brief history of Leeds Central Library, primarily derived from material found in several volumes of news-cuttings covering public libraries in Leeds. So, this week on the Secret Library we offer…
Category: Leeds History
Yorkshire – owt or nowt?
Librarians Antony Ramm and Sally Hughes report on a Yorkshire-themed collections day school for arts students… This week the Central Library welcomed two groups of design students from the Leeds Arts University to explore our collections on the theme of Yorkshire. The aim was to inspire these young creatives to develop work that explored the subject…
New Research Guide: Yorkshire Battles
This week we hear from Josh Flint, from the Local and Family History department of the Central Library, who introduces his recent research into books exploring the rich history of battles and other conflicts in Yorkshire… Yorkshire has been the battleground for some of the bloodiest, treacherous and most vicious battles ever fought in Britain. This…
A new Civic Hall for Leeds
Last week was the 85th anniversary of the opening of one of the most recognisable buildings in Leeds – the Civic Hall. Librarian Helen Skilbeck looks back at the opening day itself where King George V and Queen Mary visited Leeds to officially open the building. The idea of building a new Civic Hall was…
Back-to-Back Houses, Harehills
University of York PhD researcher Joanne Harrison reports here on her research over the last year. The Local and Family History Library and My Research One aspect of my research that has been particularly interesting over the last year stems from my use of the Leeds directories held in the Local and Family History Library….
Measure of the Moon by Irfan Shah
This week we hear from researcher Irfan Shah on Leeds’ contribution to the development of photography. When I started researching the story of Louis Le Prince – the French inventor who shot the world’s first films here in Leeds in 1888 – it soon became apparent that when he arrived in the town in 1866,…
A Brief History of Leeds Antiquarians: Part I
This week, Librarian Antony Ramm gives the first part in a brief history of Antiquarians in Leeds, as told using books, manuscripts and other treasures held at the Central Library. You can find future instalments elsewhere on this blog, as well as a research guide detailing the relevant library collections available. Hans Sloane (1660 – 1753)…
Cuthbert Brodrick: The Architect of Victorian Leeds
Work placement student from The University of Huddersfield Haaris Mahmood, talks us through a brief history of the impact the architect Cuthbert Brodrick had on the city of Leeds. The city of Leeds is rich in architecture and other designs, which is at times taken for granted. As some residents from Leeds have said, ‘the…
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