Volunteers across West Leeds are taking part in a UK-wide event where heritage sites open their doors to help people discover the impressive buildings and cultural background of their communities.
It’s your annual chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences as part of Heritage Open Days, all of which are FREE to explore.
An interactive map of all events across Leeds and the UK can be found here.
Here’s our guide to events specifically in West Leeds. It’s worth double checking to see if you need to book in advance, although most are entry on the day:
Armley
Gotts Park and the Yorkshire Red Books of Humphry Repton
The Mansion House, Gotts Park Golf Club, Armley Ridge Road, LS12 2QX
Discover the history of this well-known mansion, its stunning parkland setting and its original owner Benjamin Gott.
Saturday 11 September: 2pm.
Booking details and more information here.
Northern Bloc: the exceptional ice cream alchemists
Castleton Mill, Castleton Close, Armley, LS12 2DS
Discover the story of Northern Bloc, created by ‘pioneers who love ice cream’. Founder Dirk Mischendahl will tell us how the Northern Bloc journey started with ‘a van and a passion’ in the historic setting of Castleton Mill, a beautifully restored Grade 2 listed former textile mill on the banks of the Leeds Liverpool Canal.
Friday 10 September: 4.30pm.
Booking details and more information here.
St Bartholomew’s Church
St. Bartholomews Church, Wesley Road, Armley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS12 1SR
A fine example of a Victorian Church, its spire can be seen for miles!
Variety of days and times. More details here.
Bramley
Bramley – the village that disappeared
Bramley History Society invite you to rediscover the lost village of Bramley. Listed in the Domesday Book, much of old Bramley was lost to redevelopment in the 60s and 70s. Local historians Roger Cliff and Anthony Silson will lead a walk that highlights local heritage and the historic architecture that survives.
Friday 17 September: meet Tesco store, Bramley Shopping Centre, at 10am
Calverley
Calverley Methodist Chapel
Calverley Methodist Church, Chapel Street, Calverley, Pudsey, West Yorkshire, LS28 5PS
Calverley Methodist Chapel opened in 1872 and is Grade II listed. Imagine the church as it was in Victorian times and maybe sample a Victorian Sunday School picnic or solve a murder mystery.
There will be a Victorian Sunday school picnic – eat outside on the grass or inside in case of inclement weather (11 September). Or perhaps solve a Murder Mystery while partaking of a Harvest afternoon tea in the School Room – pre-book at Church (18 September).
For the Harvest Festival Weekend (18-19 September) the Chapel windows will be decorated with flower arrangements.
Saturday 11 September: 10am-4pm. Victorian Sunday school picnic (to purchase) 12pm-2pm.
Sunday 12 September: 12pm-4pm. Refreshments available to purchase 12pm-2pm.
Saturday 18 September: 12pm-3pm. Harvest Afternoon Tea (to purchase) and Murder Mystery Event at 4pm (pre-book).
Sunday 19 September: 12pm-3.30pm. Harvest Festival Songs of Praise at 4pm.
Full details of events and booking details can be found here.
Calverley Old Hall
12A Woodhall Road, Calverley, Pudsey, West Yorkshire, LS28 5NL
The Landmark Trust has owned Calverley Old Hall since 1981, when it was for sale in three separate lots. It had long been divided into cottages, but under a single landlord, the Thornhill Estate.
Saturday 11 September: 10am-4pm
Sunday 12 September: 10am-4pm
Booking details and more information here.
Calverley Village Heritage Walk & Quiz – a walk round Calverley in the 1920s
Calverley Old Hall, 10 Woodhall Road, Calverley, Pudsey, LS28 5NL
A self-guided circular walk around the historic village of Calverley. Learn about Calverley in the past and have fun answering the quiz. The walk is partly inspired by the publication “Calverley in the 1920s”, which recounts the memories of a Calverley man born in the village in 1916. The walk will take you round the streets and green spaces which were part of Calverley Village 100 years ago (and a lot much earlier).
More details of times and dates here.
Farnley
Famous Leeds folk we may have forgotten
Lancasterian School Room, Low Moorside Road, New Farnley, LS12 5HY
The Lancasterian School Room welcomes Bramley’s Michael Meadowcroft for a talk about Leeds personalities. The city has had its fair share of great men and women and a few real villains. Who will be included? Now that is the question!
Friday 17 September: 2pm.
Farsley
Friends of St John’s Farsley History Day
St John’s Church, New Street, Farsley, LS28 5DJ
Pictorial display off local history along with artefacts from everyday life. The event also features a display of Auxiliary Fire Service items from WW2 by a local collector, as well as organ recital and displays by the Friends of Farsley Rehoboth Baptist Burial Ground and Pudsey and District Civic Society.
Saturday 11 September: 10am-4pm.
Sunny Bank Mills & Archive – Stories from the Mill canteen, tea breaks and fuddles
Sunny Bank Mills Archive and Gallery, Farsley, Leeds, West Yorkshire
An opportunity to see a unique collection. Sharing the stories of the Mill and the workers who made our textile heritage.
Follow this link for dates, times and ways to book.
Farsley Rehoboth Burial Ground Heritage Day Tour
2 Coal Hill Lane, Farsley, Pudsey, West Yorkshire, LS28 5NA
You are invited to tour a 200-year-old burial ground that for years was neglected and untended. It is now being reclaimed as a community asset to share its heritage, war graves, nature and ecology.
Sunday 19 September: Open 11am to 4pm with hourly tours. Booking details and more information can be found here.
Kirkstall
Forge Through History – Kirkstall Forge Heritage Day
Kirkstall Forge, 1 Great Exhibition Way, LS5 3BF
Kirkstall Forge was the longest continually used industrial site in the UK. In homage to its history, Kirkstall Forge and partners will be hosting a day packed with activities celebrating its past, its people and its future.
Saturday 18 September: Heritage Open Day – Fun Activities from 10am-4.30pm.
Kirkstall Forge Exhibition
Kirkstall Forge, 1 Great Exhibition Way, Kirkstall, LS5 3BF
An exhibition that will share photographs from the past, items from the Kirkstall Forge Archive and artefacts found during the excavation.
Runs daily from Monday 13 September to Saturday 18 September, 9am-5pm daily.
Hollybush open day
The Conservation Volunteers, Hollybush Conservation Centre, Broad Lane, Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS5 3BP
Join Hollybush Conservation Centre’s Open Day on Sunday 19 September! Enjoy a stroll in the nature gardens and a coffee and cake in the cafe.
Sunday 19 September: 11am-3pm.
Kirkstall Heritage Walk
Kirkstall Forge, 1 Great Exhibition Way, Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS5 3BF
Join the Kirkstall Heritage Walk around the canal.
Friday 17 September: 10am
Booking details and more information can be found here.
Pudsey
Funky Fulneck Food Facts
Fulneck, Pudsey, LS28 8NT
Step back in time and experience the charm of this unique Fulneck village. Visit and enjoy our new exhibition centred around food, and explore our heritage museum. Discover more about the history of the settlement on a guided tour.
Saturday 18 September: 10.30am-4pm.
Pudsey Masonic Hall Open Day
48 Church Lane, Pudsey, LS28 7RF
Guided tours of Pudsey Masonic Hall. Learn about its history and the part Masons have played in the life of Pudsey.
Saturday 11 September: 10.30am-4pm
Saturday 18 September: 10.30am-4pm
Event missing?
Have we missed an event? Drop us a line on news@westleedsdispatch.com with the details and we will gladly add it to the list!