Have you ever walked past The Leeds Library on Commercial Street and wanted to find out more about our beautiful building and its collection? ...Then book a free tour! The Leeds Library is the oldest surviving members’ subscription library in the UK. Founded in 1768, the Library moved to its current purpose-built premises on Commercial […]

The pontificate of Pope John XXII (1316-1334) was characterised by conflict, drama and several assassination attempts involving baptised wax figures, arsenic, ‘harmful powders’ and the use of bread to smuggle these substances into the papal palace. None of the accounts of these plots are entirely convincing, but they provide a fascinating snapshot into the life […]

Have you ever walked past The Leeds Library on Commercial Street and wanted to find out more about our beautiful building and its collection? …Then book a free tour! The Leeds Library is the oldest surviving members’ subscription library in the UK. Founded in 1768, the Library moved to its current purpose-built premises on Commercial […]

The It’s So Good It’s Criminal Season Please note that due to licensing restrictions, you must be a member of the Leeds Library to attend this screening, and we are not able to advertise details of the film publicly beforehand. Join fellow Members of the Library for an afternoon in front of the silver screen.

A five-day course running from Monday 5th October to Friday 9th October, every day from 10:30am to 4:30pm. Popular between the 14th and 16th century, this unique book style was used to make a portable binding for reading on the go. Made in both leather, alum-tawed skin, and fabrics, they feature in artwork and marginal decorations of the time period in different formats and sizes. […]

Have you ever walked past The Leeds Library on Commercial Street and wanted to find out more about our beautiful building and its collection? …Then book a free tour! The Leeds Library is the oldest surviving members’ subscription library in the UK. Founded in 1768, the Library moved to its current purpose-built premises on Commercial […]

Books and Bubbles Librarian's tour of The Leeds Library: Exclusive, in-depth tours of the library and its treasures with one of our librarians and a glass of fizz* Take the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes tour of the oldest surviving subscription library in the country. You’ll be guided by one of our librarians, and invited to […]

The It’s So Good It’s Criminal Season Please note that due to licensing restrictions, you must be a member of the Leeds Library to attend this screening, and we are not able to advertise details of the film publicly beforehand. Join fellow Members of the Library for an afternoon in front of the silver screen.