Leeds has added its voice to the Yorkshire-wide chorus of praise celebrating Bradford’s success in the race to be named UK City of Culture 2025. Bradford was confirmed this evening as the next holder of the four-yearly UK City of Culture title, seeing off competition from County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham. Councillor James Lewis,…
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Members of Leeds’s diverse communities have come together to re-examine and re-define more than 300 years of artwork ahead of a pioneering new exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery. Shifting Perspectives will explore different and sometimes complex representations of people of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage in almost 100 works dating from the 17th Century…
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The Leader of Leeds City Council and executive member for culture, Councillor Judith Blake, has responded to an announcement from government that £1.57bn will be made available to help Britain’s arts, culture and heritage industries tackle the ongoing impact of coronavirus. Leeds has a thriving arts and culture sector from individual artists to nationally…
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An innovative grants scheme has helped cultural organisations in Leeds generate more than £56m for the local economy in just one year, new figures have revealed. The Arts@Leeds project, run by Leeds City Council, gives arts organisations across the city financial support to create exciting events and activities in venues and communities. Now…
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The newly-formed trust that will spearhead a game-changing cultural investment programme for Leeds is set to get the official backing of the city’s senior councillors next week. Members of Leeds City Council’s executive board will be asked to approve a formal grant agreement with the Leeds Culture Trust, sparking an ambitious, four-year programme of…
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For centuries, it’s been home to the hulking heirlooms of Leeds’s industrial heyday which once propelled the city to the pinnacle of global production. Now a modern mechanical marvel powered entirely by people has taken its place amid the technological giants of the past at Leeds Industrial Museum. The incredible People Powered Press, thought…
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Billed as “a game of skill and chance for dairy farmers”, it’s safe to say board game Grade Up to Elite Cow isn’t exactly a family favourite. The agriculturally inspired game was produced by Waddingtons 1986 on behalf of The British Friesian Cattle Society of Great Britain and Ireland, with proceeds going to their…
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Beneath the lavish halls and chambers of Temple Newsam House, a huge network of cellars was once liberally stocked with thousands upon thousands of gallons of beer. Upstairs, 18th-century aristocrats would host lavish banquets and parties where locally-brewed ales would flow freely and guests would raise a toast to kings and queens. Now that…
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In February 2019, to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, 144 of the Renaissance master’s greatest drawings in the Royal Collection will go on display in 12 simultaneous exhibitions across the UK, including Leeds Art Gallery. Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing, a nationwide event, will give the…
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Innovative arts organisations making a difference across Leeds’s cultural community are set to be awarded more than £1.7m in vital funding. The latest round of arts Leeds grants will go before Leeds City Council’s executive board next week, with 42 groups and organisations around the city recommended to receive funding as part of the…
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Museum-goers in Leeds can learn more about the role the city’s diverse communities played in the First World War as part of Black History Month. Leeds City Museum in partnership with The Centre for Hidden Histories will be putting on an exciting programme of WWI themed events to commemorate Black History Month through October. The…
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Horsforth Music Centre, together with Instituto Cervantes, has launched a new package of Flamenco and Spanish language classes on Saturday mornings. Professional Dancer Luisa Galan, who has trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and the Conservatoire of Dance in Cordoba, Spain, has joined the team of professional music and dance teachers at…
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From 1915-17, at the height of the First World War, many injured soldiers were nursed back to health in Temple Newsam House’s historic halls. Like other stately homes, the beautiful mansion was used as a convalescent hospital, where nurses would help those injured on the front lines to rest and recuperate. In 1919, Following…
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Like thousands of men who went off to fight in the trenches of the First World War, Leeds man Leonard Wragby left behind an anxious wife and young child. Keen to stay in touch with them, Private Wragby sent a steady stream of letters back from France, documenting his grueling life in the trenches…
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It’s a mechanised murder mystery machine which has captivated generations of Leeds museum-goers. So when Abbey House Museum’s quirky 1930s penny slot machine finally gave up the ghost, it would have been a crime to let the historic attraction simply gather dust. Luckily, after the machine broke down recently, experts at the Kirkstall attraction searched…
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Newly arrived at Lotherton Hall, this beautiful hardwood credenza was expertly crafted by an esteemed Leeds cabinet maker more than 150 years ago. The superbly made cabinet was recently bequeathed to the estate by Selwyn Barker, a furniture collector who lived near Preston, and was made by Marsh and Jones of Leeds in around…
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Leeds Art Gallery has said a temporary farewell to a celebrated Yorkshire favourite. Dual Form by Barbara Hepworth has been transported the short distance to the University of Leeds while the gallery is closed for major roof repairs. The sculpture was bought from the artist by Leeds Art Fund back in 1967 and has…
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Decorative and glamorous, Temple Newsam’s silver epergne fittingly once belonged to a celebrated Paris socialite. The dazzling centrepiece was made by Thomas Pitts in 1759 and is a particularly ornate example of a type of table decoration which became the height of fashion in the middle of the 18th Century. Crafted in what was…
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More than seventy years of memories and nostalgia have been brought together for a new exhibition celebrating growing up in Leeds. The Decades of Youth exhibition launches at Abbey House Museum tomorrow (July 30) and features a series of vintage objects and images from around Leeds, spanning seven different decades. Items that will be on…
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A weird and wonderful collection of objects seized from smugglers is being revealed in an exclusive museum Twitter tour next week. The bizarre array of exotic items includes a crocodile head ashtray and a stuffed mongoose in the grip of a hungry snake and was mainly found during raids and searches by UK customs…
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World-renowned artist Ashley Jackson will get some inspiration from the beautiful grounds of Temple Newsam during a special watercolour painting demonstration. Visitors can join the famous painter in the Picture Gallery at the historic Leeds house on August 4 at 11am , when he will give a demonstration while talking about his love of…
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