Two Extraordinary Banquets

This week on the Secret Library, Librarian Antony Ramm briefly explores the stories behind two quite amazing political banquets in 19th-century Leeds. These both form entries on our Edible Leeds heritage trail, designed for Heritage Open Day Week 2021. In this short tale of two extraordinary political banquets, we start with the most well-known: the…

Peterloo and After: 19th-century Radicalism in Leeds

Earlier in 2019 Librarians in the Local and Family History department of the Central Library curated a small display of books and other stock showcasing the rich tradition of radical politics in 19th-century Leeds. Reproduced below are the exhibition’s descriptive text cards, along with some sample images of the relevant stock. Please contact the Local…

People of Leeds #1: Sam, the Newsman

The first in an occasional series looking at forgotten contributors to the history of Leeds. This week, Librarian Antony Ramm tells the story of 19th-century newsagent Samuel Schofield, better known to contemporaries as ‘Sam, the Newsman’… There was once a time – not so very long ago – when visitors to the centre of Leeds…

Speed-dating our Library Treasures II: Small Books and Big Ideas

by Antony Ramm, Local and Family History, Central Library You may recall that, during our 2016 Library Fest programme, we trialled a new event: Speed-date our Library Treasures. Put simply, this was an opportunity for the public to engage with a wide range of some of our most interesting and unique stock items, all curated by…