By Iola Shaw
As part of the Heritage Open days festival Leeds Industrial Museum has embraced the theme of every day histories.
I went along to a talk by Ray, one of the visitors assistants, who provided a delightful short tour of the garden and grounds of the museum.
I was thinking engineering, clattering looms and heavy machinery when I anticipated the tour, but Ray showed a far more human side to the 750 year old mill site.
We experienced the delights of the colour garden which has been developed in partnership with Hyde Park Source for the last decade. Recently they have been growing and experimenting with natural dye plants which are making a comeback such as Madder root and Woad leaves.
The planting is also practical with herbs and vegetables. There is a tree in honour of Hilary Hampshire “spinster” a disconcerting label! But Ray explained that Hilary had been employed to spin fine threads- the highly skilled spinster role that has since lent its name to unmarried women.
The garden of the cottage pays tribute to the heritage of the site as well as how it would have been used when the factory caretakers lived there, from 1790s until the 1970s.
Photos from last confirmed residents of the cottages, the Trory family were shared. Mum, Beryl, was honoured for leaping the 12 foot drop into the canal to save a 3 year old who had fallen in, despite her own inability to swim, with a fabulous write up from the Yorkshire Post and chief constable award for her efforts.
We moved to the picnic area to enjoy the exhibition of felt artwork that is on display this autumn – from life like and practical such as the wreath on the disused air raid shelter to the hopeful storks nest.
I got chatting to Andrew Kirk, who was on the tour with me. He agreed that the tour had been a refreshing surprise. As he put it “not sure what to expect but I’m really glad I dropped in”.
He also pointed out the Samson Fox corrugated furnace flue lying at the end of the garden, a legacy from Kirkstall Forge, and its place in the history of Leeds Engineering. I’m sure we will both be back.
Next weekend there are more HODs activities and the exhibition “untangled” of felt work runs until next June, as Ray highlighted, the intention is to explore the impact of the weather as this is mostly outdoors and therefore much of it can be experienced from the picnic area.
Leeds Industrial Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday weekly. If you live in the LS3, 4, 5, and 12 postcode areas it has reduced price admission of £1 with proof of address.