News

Abbey House Museum in Kirkstall is to remain open following a passionate response to a public consultation, it was announced today.

Leeds City Council has been consulting on the attraction’s future as the authority explores a range of proposals to address unprecedented financial pressures.

And after considering almost 10,000 responses, the council has taken the decision to withdraw the proposals as part of its budget plans for the coming year, which will be presented to the council’s executive board next week.

Hundreds of thousands of antique plants and flowers carefully preserved for centuries will be given new life thanks to a fascinating environmental history project in Leeds.

The city’s vast collection of precious herbarium sheets was collected by botanists and horticulturalists over the past 200 years, with many of the fragile plants gathered in parks and grassland in east Leeds.

Stored at the Leeds Discovery Centre, the plants are now set to be studied by people living and working in the same area where they once grew, connecting their communities and ecosystems through time.

A pedal-powered prototype designed by a Leeds inventor to take on the toughest terrain has been put through its paces at a Leeds museum.

The hulking Fen Easy Rider bicycle was made in the late 1970s to tackle the rugged roads bordering parts of the British countryside, and gives a remarkable insight into the fascinating story of Leeds pioneer Henry Brown, who recently died at the age of 102.

Cherished childhood stories are being retold to visitors thanks to a nostalgic new exhibition in Leeds.

The Story Time exhibition at Abbey House Museum features a huge variety of historic books and games, each exploring the magical world of children’s stories.

A vintage Little Bo Peep costume proudly worn by a Leeds girl more than 120 years ago has been restored to its former glory ahead of a new exhibition.

Records show the beautiful, dainty garment was Gladys Redman’s fancy dress outfit when she attended a prestigious chapel concert, held in Leeds in 1900.

A collection of antique avian giants, spectacularly preserved in time more than a century ago, has been given some top-flight conservation by museum experts in Leeds.

The remains of some of the world’s largest birds, stored at the Leeds Discovery Centre, have been cleaned, measured and assessed by eagle-eyed curators, who were looking to ensure the precious objects are in the best possible condition.

She was a pampered pooch so beloved by her aristocratic master, he immortalised her in a stunning pet portrait by one of the nation’s most renowned artists.

Now, more than 250 years after she was captured on canvas, Phillis the English pointer has taken up a perfect new cosy spot at Temple Newsam House as winter sets in.

A record-breaking local swimmer and a legendary Leeds Paralympian are among the city’s unsung sporting heroes set to be honoured in series of eye-catching new murals.

Doris Storey, who smashed the record for the 220yds breaststroke in 1938, and Kadeena Cox, who has brought home a remarkable string of Paralympic gold medals in sprinting and cycling, have been chosen by a panel of volunteers to be commemorated in the exciting new arts project.

Two artists – each with their own Leeds connection - will have their ground-breaking works displayed at the city’s art gallery this week.

November will see Leeds Art Gallery launch Stuart Croft: Eternal Return and Silent Echoes Spoken Truths: Curtis Holder, with the exhibitions opening jointly on November 8.

An impressive, brick-by-brick recreation of John Smeaton’s famous Eddystone Lighthouse has gone on display in Leeds alongside the 230-year-old designs which inspired it.

Civil Engineer and railway enthusiast Mark Calvert designed the model and then printed each part on a 3D printer, after an illuminating study into the famed Leeds-born engineer’s original masterwork.

High-tech 3D scans have revealed the intricate inner workings of the world’s oldest model locomotive for the first time in more than 200 years.

Leeds Industrial Museum’s incredible miniature recreation of a pioneering early steam locomotive recently underwent a detailed CT X-Ray survey using sophisticated equipment at the University of Leeds.

A group of young history lovers, who followed in the footsteps of famed Leeds-born engineer John Smeaton, have scooped a top award.

Known as The Young Smeatonians, they brought past and present together, exploring how the work of pioneering engineers like Smeaton influenced the designs of modern toys like Lego and Meccano.