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The magnificent fans are among more than 400 cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre, where the precious collection is being carefully catalogued and conserved by curators. Mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of the fans’ elaborate designs portray scenes of love taken from Greek or Roman mythology, colourful birds or Far Eastern imagery and were once a must-have accompaniment to any lady’s outfit in high society.

The magnificent fans are among more than 400 cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre, where the precious collection is being carefully catalogued and conserved by curators. Unusually, one (pictured here) is an education fan decorated with methods of classifying plants and botanical drawings, with another printed with a variety of riddles and known to have belonged to Isabel Kennedy of Leeds.

The magnificent fans are among more than 400 cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre, where the precious collection is being carefully catalogued and conserved by curators. Unusually, one (pictured here) is an education fan decorated with methods of classifying plants and botanical drawings, with another printed with a variety of riddles and known to have belonged to Isabel Kennedy of Leeds.

The magnificent fans are among more than 400 cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre, where the precious collection is being carefully catalogued and conserved by curators. Mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of the fans’ elaborate designs portray scenes of love taken from Greek or Roman mythology, colourful birds or Far Eastern imagery and were once a must-have accompaniment to any lady’s outfit in high society.

The magnificent fans are among more than 400 cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre, where the precious collection is being carefully catalogued and conserved by curators. Mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of the fans’ elaborate designs portray scenes of love taken from Greek or Roman mythology, colourful birds or Far Eastern imagery and were once a must-have accompaniment to any lady’s outfit in high society.

The magnificent fans are among more than 400 cared for at Leeds Discovery Centre, where the precious collection is being carefully catalogued and conserved by curators. Mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, many of the fans’ elaborate designs portray scenes of love taken from Greek or Roman mythology, colourful birds or Far Eastern imagery and were once a must-have accompaniment to any lady’s outfit in high society.

Archives assistant Alex Pearson with the plans for the Leeds Town hall clock tower. Created in 1857, a year before the building was opened by Queen Victoria, the elaborate illustrations are part of the collection at West Yorkshire Archives Service and include the classical stonework and emblematic owls adorning the tower exterior. They were prepared as part of the “articles agreement” put together by contractors Addy and Nicholls, who took on the mammoth task of constructing the tower.

Archives assistant Alex Pearson with the plans for the Leeds Town hall clock tower. Created in 1857, a year before the building was opened by Queen Victoria, the elaborate illustrations are part of the collection at West Yorkshire Archives Service and include the classical stonework and emblematic owls adorning the tower exterior. They were prepared as part of the “articles agreement” put together by contractors Addy and Nicholls, who took on the mammoth task of constructing the tower.

Archives assistant Alex Pearson with the plans for the Leeds Town hall clock tower. Created in 1857, a year before the building was opened by Queen Victoria, the elaborate illustrations are part of the collection at West Yorkshire Archives Service and include the classical stonework and emblematic owls adorning the tower exterior. They were prepared as part of the “articles agreement” put together by contractors Addy and Nicholls, who took on the mammoth task of constructing the tower.

Archives assistant Alex Pearson with the plans for the Leeds Town hall clock tower. Created in 1857, a year before the building was opened by Queen Victoria, the elaborate illustrations are part of the collection at West Yorkshire Archives Service and include the classical stonework and emblematic owls adorning the tower exterior. They were prepared as part of the “articles agreement” put together by contractors Addy and Nicholls, who took on the mammoth task of constructing the tower.

Created in 1857, a year before the building was opened by Queen Victoria, the elaborate illustrations are part of the collection at West Yorkshire Archives Service and include the classical stonework and emblematic owls adorning the tower exterior. They were prepared as part of the “articles agreement” put together by contractors Addy and Nicholls, who took on the mammoth task of constructing the tower.

Created in 1857, a year before the building was opened by Queen Victoria, the elaborate illustrations are part of the collection at West Yorkshire Archives Service and include the classical stonework and emblematic owls adorning the tower exterior. They were prepared as part of the “articles agreement” put together by contractors Addy and Nicholls, who took on the mammoth task of constructing the tower.