This week, librarian Helen Skilbeck takes a look back at the history of the public baths on Cookridge Street… Directly opposite Leeds City Museum, on the site of Millennium Square, were Cookridge Street Public Baths – also known as the Oriental and General Baths. Opened in 1866, these baths survived for nearly a century until…
Category: Social History
Unfinished Business: Women and the Politics of Language (The Language of Politics)
This article by Librarian Antony Ramm forms part of our series to mark the launch of the British Library’s Unfinished Business exhibition. Leeds Central Library is hosting a virtual version featuring inspirational local women past and present, events that have shaped the experience of women in the city and items from our special collections that…
Black History Month 2020: The Windrush Generation
During October the majority of our content on the Secret Library blog will focus on Black History Month, including links to relevant resources held at the Central Library and signposting to external organisations, most specifically relating to Leeds, its history and heritage. Each week will have a different theme – Research, Events, Social Justice, Windrush and…
Black History Month 2020: Social Justice & Activism
During October the majority of our content on the Secret Library blog will focus on Black History Month, including links to relevant resources held at the Central Library and signposting to external organisations, most specifically relating to Leeds, its history and heritage. Each week will have a different theme – Research, Events, Social Justice, Windrush and…
National Libraries Week 2020: Mobile Libraries
OUR FOUR-WHEELED, BOOK-CARRYING, BEHEMOTHS… The final in our series of articles for National Libraries Week 2020, celebrating the history of the Leeds Library Service – a short history of Mobile Libraries in Leeds… ***** It’s not everywhere that we can build a branch library, and even if we could not everyone would be able to…
Black History Month 2020: Events
During October the majority of our content on the Secret Library blog will focus on Black History Month, including links to relevant resources held at the Central Library and signposting to external organisations, most specifically relating to Leeds, its history and heritage. Each week will have a different theme – Research, Events, Social Justice, Windrush and…
National Libraries Week 2020: Headingley, Hunslet and Middleton Libraries
Headingley Library We continue our celebration of the local libraries across Leeds, with a trip to the north of the city. There has been a library presence in Headingley since 1884 when the first branch library opened on an evening in Bennett Road Board School (1882, now the Headingley Heart Community Centre), In 1892 it…
National Libraries Week 2020: Compton Road, Crossgates and Garforth Libraries
PESKY KIDS, ESCAPES FROM TINY TERRACES AND ECHOING FOOTSTEPS… Compton Road Library Compton Road Library opened in 1927 at a cost of £11,332 most of this met with money from the Carnegie Trust, and just like Bramley it has a very similar layout and was built with identical materials. The building was designed to adapt…
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