This week on the blog we hear from Library & Digital Assistant Becky Bavill, who explores and illuminates the rich history of an 18th and 19th-century journal… The Lady’s Magazine – not to be confused with The Lady Magazine – was a popular publication in the 18th and 19th centuries, running from 1770 to 1818…
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…
Do You Believe in Fairies?: The Story of The Cottingley Fairies Retold in a New Installation
‘And then I said, “Those fairies we see – let’s take a picture!”‘ In the summer of 1917, cousins Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright claimed to have seen fairies by Cottingley Beck. The photographs they took would later be described by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as having the potential to ‘mark an epoch in human…
Leeds United Part 2: The Beginning
Part two of a four-part series exploring the history of Leeds United, as told through books and other materials held at the Central Library. You can find all of the parts in our dedicated Sport page and all the books mentioned here can be accessed by contacting us on 0113 37 86982 or via localandfamilyhistory@leeds.gov.uk……
A Brief History of the Leeds Jewish Community: Part I
Part 1 of a four-part series exploring the history of the Jewish community in Leeds. See our dedicated page for all entries in this series, plus other articles on related subjects. Today’s entry offers a short look at the community’s story, highlighting some useful sources for further exploration… There have been Jewish people in Leeds…
The Places We Live: Local History Collections Around Leeds
As part of Local and Community History Month, Librarian Antony Ramm briefly explores our local history collections stretching all around Leeds, and introduces a new guide to stock relating to Rothwell… As readers of this blog may already know, the Local and Family History department at the Central Library in Leeds houses a huge collection…
Help us map the lost buildings of Leeds
Welcome to Local Community History Month – this month all our blog posts will be focused on the local communities that make up Leeds. Help wanted! Leeds Libraries have recently been experimenting with a fascinating online tool provided by Google: My Maps…and we need your support. We first came across this site while working with…
The Golden Wedding | Frank Kidson & Arthur Grimshaw
Part two from guest writer Agnes Leonowicz The Golden Wedding was a play written in 1910 for the City of Leeds School of Music by Frank Kidson and Arthur Grimshaw, which was said to be to raise money for Leeds Infirmary. The play was a musical collaboration of folk and romanticism, combining Grimshaw’s musical skills…
The Secret Library | Leeds Libraries Heritage Blog 