Description

On the last Friday of the month, the Leeds Library Lunchtime Lecture Series is an opportunity for you to hear from notable people of Leeds. Those who have played or are continuing to play a significant part in making Leeds the great city it is today, talking about the issues and subjects in which they are expert.  

Perfect for inquisitive minds, these lectures are a great way to do something different with your lunchbreak, and learn more about Leeds people, their specialisms and enthusiasms. Lectures will last for 45 minutes with 15 minutes at the end for questions and open discussion. You can also eat your lunch while you listen!  

In this lecture, Peter Brears draws on his over sixty years’ experience as a volunteer, curator, director and consultant to cast a rare shaft of light into the hidden world of museums. Those who still think that museums are “dull and dusty”, or that curators spend their lives contemplating beautiful objects will hear nothing to confirm their misconceptions; instead they will discover a profession where personalities, politics, finance, knowledge, ignorance, competence and incompetence all combine to make the preservation and presentation of the past a real, but sometimes hilarious challenge. 

About the speaker – Peter Brears FSA graduated from Leeds College of Art in 1968, then worked in various museums, mostly directing the city museums of York and then Leeds, where he opened the Armley Mills, Thwaite Molls and Georgian Museums, establishing the Leeds Waterfront Heritage Trail and initiating the conservation of Kirkstall Abbey. His removal from Leeds Museums in 1994 enabled him to fulfil the increasing demands of his research and development skills from Historic Royal Palaces, English Heritage, Cadw, the National Trust, major stately homes and museum trusts. His numerous books and academic articles on castles, museums, post-medieval archaeology, country pottery, folk art and food history are accepted as standard works in their respective fields. His books and booklets on Leeds include Images of Leeds, A Taste of Leeds and A Leeds Life. 

A note about accessibility – Unfortunately, our Grade II* listed building is not currently fully accessible. We have a stair lift from the ground floor foyer to the first floor but are unable to install a through-floor lift due to the building’s historic status. Please email us on enquiries@theleedslibrary.org.uk if you have any questions around access, and we will do everything that we can to accommodate you.  

The Leeds Library is committed to making its building and collections accessible to everyone in our current capital building works project The Next Chapter Project. To find out more, please visit the website HERE.