#LeedsMuseums

Doris's mural has been created by artist Alexandra Elstone
26th September 2025
2 mins read

New Murals Celebrate Leeds’ Sporting Heroes

Vibrant new murals honouring some of Leeds’s greatest sporting heroes, past and present, have been unveiled in communities across the city. Created by talented local artists, the striking artworks celebrate the achievements of athletes ranging from a record-breaking swimmer to a Paralympic legend. Each mural’s subject was selected by a panel of volunteers working…
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Siblings Elizabeth and Edward feature in a striking portrait dating from around 1740.
26th September 2025
2 mins read

Leeds Event Explores the Cringeworthy Clothing of Childhoods Past

Children’s fashion faux pas from centuries past will take centre stage at a special event in Leeds, shining a spotlight on the awkward and often amusing outfits young people have been made to wear throughout history. Hosted at Lotherton, the talk invites visitors to explore the enduring tradition of dressing children like miniature adults,…
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Children's Fancy Fashion- A Historical Journey
7th March 2025
2 mins read

New Exhibition Unveils the Rich History of Children’s Fancy Fashion

A new exhibition delving into the intricate and colorful history of children’s fashion has opened its doors, inviting visitors to explore a realm of pinnies, petticoats, booties, and breeches. Titled ‘Children’s Fancy Fashion: A Historical Journey’, the showcase presents a fascinating look at how young ones have been dressed through the centuries, from the…
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The collection also includes slides containing spiders and insects from around the world, carefully preserved more than a century ago.
14th February 2025
2 mins read

Ancient Egyptian Bread Crumb Unearthed in Leeds Museum’s Collection of Miniature Artifacts

In an intriguing discovery, a minute crumb of bread dating back thousands of years has been unearthed within the Leeds Museum’s extensive collection of miniature artifacts. This ancient fragment, ensconced among the museum’s treasures, offers a unique glimpse into the culinary past of ancient Egypt. The bread crumb, believed to be approximately 3,000 years…
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Gemma Brown, site development officer at the Leeds Discovery Centre
26th July 2024
2 mins read

Leeds Museum Displays Vintage Sailor Suits, Celebrating Victorian Children’s Maritime Fashion

Leeds museum experts have unveiled a captivating collection of vintage sailor suits, showcasing the stylish naval attire that Victorian children once wore. The collection features an array of classic blue and white outfits, including dresses and bellbottom trousers — fashion staples for children from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. These nautical suits…
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Thwaite Mills in Leeds
8th March 2024
1 min read

Update on future of Thwaite Watermill

At meeting of full council on Wednesday, February 21, members gave approval to proceed with proposals which will help meet the unprecedented financial challenges facing the authority. This included proposals to end the council’s lease at Thwaite Watermill, which has been subject to public consultation. Whilst the final decision has not yet been taken…
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On the Pitch, Off the Pitch
18th August 2023
2 mins read

Street art project aims to honour city’s unsung sports stars

Wall to play for as street art project aims to honour city’s unsung sports stars. The city’s unsung sporting heroes are set to be honoured through eye-catching new street art as part of an inspiring project to bring Leeds’s glory days to life. ‘On the Pitch, Off the Pitch’ will see five new murals…
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Cotton Connections
31st March 2023
2 mins read

Cotton’s common threads entwined in hall’s new exhibition

Visit the latest exhibition at Lotherton, exploring the last 300 years of cotton in Cotton Connections. Now the fascinating story of cotton and its remarkable impact on different cultures and communities in India and Europe is being explored in a new exhibition at Lotherton. Cotton Connections: From India to the High Street opens at…
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Miffy Awards
10th March 2023
2 mins read

Global award put Leeds learning project top of the class

Museums in Leeds have scooped a top International Award for an innovative project to bring history to life in classrooms across the city. A panel of experts from leading museums around Europe named Leeds Museums and Galleries the joint winner of the Children in Museums Award for the Leeds Curriculum. Developed in partnership with…
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Vintage Bus Day
22nd July 2022
2 mins read

Summer family fun with Leeds Museums and Galleries

Leeds Museums and Galleries are gearing up for a bumper summer of family fun, with a number of events set to take place in Leeds over the summer school holiday. Over the summer months, events will be taking place at some of the city’s most popular attractions, such as Temple Newsam, Lotherton, Leeds City…
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Leeds Discovery Centre
21st January 2022
2 mins read

Putting 100-year-old penguin on ice is a happy feat for museum curators

A museum’s magnificent stuffed penguin will spend the next two weeks chilling out in a giant, state-of-the-art freezer as curators give damaging bugs and beetles the cold shoulder. The impressive emperor penguin has been put on ice at Leeds Discovery Centre after experts there detected potentially problematic pests which can destroy delicate taxidermy specimens. Over…
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Leeds Discovery Centre
17th December 2021
1 min read

Museums team digs deep to win top award for archaeology project

An inspiring project giving young people in Leeds a chance to unearth the ancient secrets of the past in their classrooms has scooped a top National Archaeology Award. The Council for British Archaeology named Leeds Museums and Galleries’ Primary School Membership scheme the winner of the Archaeological Achievement Award for learning, training and skills. Thanks…
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Eye of the Miner
1st October 2021
2 mins read

Purls of wisdom at Lotherton as knitted miners memorial is unveiled

A newly-knitted tribute to the men, boys and ponies who lost their lives in a Yorkshire mining disaster has been unveiled after being lovingly crafted by their descendants. The tragedy at Peckfield Colliery in Micklefield claimed the lives of 63 people and 19 ponies when, on Thursday April 30, 1896 an underground gas explosion…
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Museums and Heritage Awards
2nd July 2021
1 min read

Museum team’s COVID learning project completes top awards hat-trick

A unique museum education project that has helped bring history into hundreds of homes across Leeds during the pandemic has scooped a top national award. Leeds Museums and Galleries’ innovative Closing the COVID Gap project, the only one of its kind in the country, won a prestigious Museums and Heritage Award for learning outreach…
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