TCV Hollybush are asking the public to submit their favourite rhubarb recipes and recollections of rhubarb growing in the Kirkstall and Bramley areas of Leeds.
Contributions will be collected for a recipe book and exhibition, supported by Historic England Everyday Heritage Grants, celebrating the role of rhubarb growing in Leeds’ community heritage.
TCV Hollybush would love to hear from the local community about their memories of rhubarb farming in the area for an exhibition that will take place at the Hollybush Rhubarb Fayre and Plant Sale on Sunday, 25 May. Hollybush will also be producing a booklet of favourite rhubarb recipes, so would love to know how you eat yours.
While most people now associate rhubarb with Wakefield, in 1914 Leeds was described by the Yorkshire Evening Post as ‘the greatest rhubarb-growing centre in the world’. With land for housebuilding at a premium after the Second World War, rhubarb farming in Leeds declined in the second half of the 20th century but continued on a reduced scale in the Bramley and Kirkstall areas up until the 1970s.
Hollybush Conservation Centre in Kirkstall is located at the former home and farm of Joseph Whitwell, gentleman rhubarb farmer, reported by the Royal Agricultural Society in the 1870s to be the largest grower of forced rhubarb in any single location.
The centre’s history was commemorated in 2024 with a Leeds Civic Trust Blue Plaque celebrating Whitwell, and Hollybush received Leeds Civic Trust funding for the Rhubarb Roots project to restore the front gardens to reflect the site’s heritage.
Building on this through a programme of workshops, talks, research and events, the Historic England-funded, community-led project at Hollybush will celebrate the working-class heritage of the Bramley and Kirkstall area, particularly its forgotten rhubarb farming history and the role of food and growing in community history and identity.
TCV Leeds Operations Leader Lucy Wheeler said: “This project, supported by Historic England Everyday Heritage Grants, provides an opportunity to reflect on the rich heritage of the local area, and celebrates the community in West Leeds that TCV Hollybush are proud to be a part of.”
Rhubarb recipes and memories of the local area can be sent by e-mail to hollybush@tcv.org.uk or visitors can fill in a ‘Talk to us about rhubarb’ postcard when visiting the centre.
The next public event at TCV Hollybush will be a Potato Day and Seed Swap on 16 February 2025.