Heritage Open Days is returning to Leeds with more than 100 events embracing the theme of creativity between Friday, September 9, to Sunday, September 18. This year, it is supported by LEEDS 2023 and some events will continue on throughout the year and into 2024.
Leeds Civic Trust has been bringing people from across the city together to celebrate their heritage, community, and history in collaboration with many Leeds venues and this year’s theme,Creativity Unwrapped, promises to invite new talent into the spotlight.
Among them is local art studio The Assembly House which will be producinga large mural-style artwork to celebrate the most beloved local landmarks and community champions.
Heritage Open Days will also see the return of Briggate Morris dancers as Leeds Civic Trust unveils two blue plaques during the festival to celebrate the heritage of Bramley Baths and the legacy of the first black circus ringmaster Pablo Fanque.
Jodie Stott, Leeds Civic Trust engagement officer, said: “This year, we are delighted to be working with LEEDS 2023 to support several projects as part of the Heritage Open Days festival through our grants scheme. This year’s grants were created to support local creative practitioners, freelancers, and speakers to produce free creative events for the Leeds community that uncovers Leeds’ Heritage.
"Some of the organisations that have received grants are The Left Bank, Assembly House, Bramley Baths, Inkwell MIND, Old Chapel Music Studio, Hyde Park Source and many more. This year’s festival promises to be a treasure trove of heritage, creativity, and culture.”
Liam Montgomery, Heritage Open Days marketing and projects manager, said: “Whether it’s art, music, writing, or another outlet, creativity moves us and shapes our history and culture. We’re excited to put the spotlight on the people and places who give England’s heritage the X-factor and inspire festival-goers to engage with thousands of years of creativity.”
Find out more information about Heritage Open Days via the Leeds Civic Trust website. Here are 10 upcoming Heritage Open Day events to look forward to this year.
7. City Stories: Common Ground, Mill Hill Chapel
The Lens Lab Project (photographer Jonathan Turner and artist Benedict Phillips) has spent the past year working closely with communities from six of the faiths in Leeds; Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, and Sikh, to recreate historical photographs and bring together an exhibition of portraits, telling the story of people, place and faith. These will be on display at Mill Hill Chapel as part of City Stories: Common Ground from September 24 to October 29. Photo: LEEDS 2023
8. Eating the Corn Exchange, Leeds Corn Exchange
Edible Archives will be bringing their etiquette-flipping, multi-sensory work with food and heritage to Leeds Corn Exchange for an immersive experience on October 29, from 10am-4pm. Photo: LEEDS 2023
9. Meet Me at Cantors, Riley Theatre (Northern School of Contemporary Dance)
Leeds literary festival’s Milim has been working with members of the Jewish community in Leeds to produce ‘Meet Me at Cantors’, a new theatre production written by Anthony Clavane (‘Promised Land’) and Mike Levy, directed by Tash Hyman. It celebrates post-war Chapeltown – a district which became a melting pot for different cultures. Cantors Fish and Chip Shop was the hub, the meeting place for young people, and the play focuses on stories of working-class Jews in their late teens and 20s coming of age in the post austerity world of the 1950s. It will be shown on September 10, from 3pm to 7:30pm. Photo: Google
10. The F Club Reborn: Fandom, Fanzines and The Fenton
A hands-on fun workshop about the history of Leeds’s grassroots music and politics of the 1970s and 1980s will be taking place on September 17 from 2pm-4pm at the Fenton, Woodhouse Lane. During this workshop, participants will create fanzines and mixtape inlays to celebrate the music and DIY culture of the period. Photo: Google
11. Popular Music in Leeds: Histories, Heritage, People and Places
A guided walking tour is coming to Leeds on September 17, from 11am-12:30pm. It will start outside the Dry Dock Pub, Woodhouse Lane, and will be led by Dr Paul Thompson from Leeds Beckett University and Dr Brett Lashua. Photo: Google