Abbey House Museum

Try out your spy skills in our special spy school. We will be testing your observation, quick thinking, logic and cunning.
For children over 7. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Sessions at 10am, 11am and 2pm. Booking is essential. To book call 0113 3784079 or email abbey.house@leeds.gov.uk Included in admission.

#OnThisDay in 1902 Edward VII was crowned King, the original coronation having been postponed from 26 June due to his recovering from emergency surgery for appendicitis. This plaque, from the Leeds Museums and Galleries collection, is one of 80,000 presented to the children of Leeds in celebration of the event.

Look what arrived today! Getting excited for tomorrows Skull School workshops for over 7s.

Complementing the exhibition A Woman’s Place? at Abbey House Museum is a free screening of the award-winning film Suffragette in Millennium Square, just one of many events organised in Leeds to celebrate the centenery of some women gaining the vote.

A rare chance to examine some of the amazing skulls in the museum collections up close. For children 7+. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Booking essential as places per session are limited. Sessions at 10am, 11am & 2pm. Included with admission.

#onthisday in 1865 Lewis Carroll publishes 'Alices's Adventures in Wonderland'. Here's an illustataion from a copy in the Leeds Museums and Galleries collection dated 1874.

Now you see me, now you don't. Fun with Lion Learners in the Victorian streets. Come and join us 2-4pm today.

From teenie tinies to teens! All in a days work for our Youth Engagement Officer Angie. Celebrating with The Vintage Youth Club to say a huge thank you for all their hard work planning the youth exhibition ready for next Spring.
If you are aged 13-21 have a passion for history, art & design and want to experience going behind the scenes at Abbey House Museum, this is the club for you. Develop your employability and experience. No experience necessary. Meet once a fornight sta...rting back in September. Leeds Museum and Gallery volunteer benefits included.
Email Angie youth.curator@leeds.gov.uk for more information.
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Huge thank you to Yeadon library for inviting Abbey House to run their summer challenge workshop this afternoon. The summer has offically started!

Our Saturday Time Capsule event is now a drop in, so no need to book in advance, just turn up! See you there.

In addition to our fabulous children's summer programme of activities, we are pleased to be hosting this exciting one-off children's workshop by artist Ellie Harrison a week today , tied to our Remembrance exhibition. Click the link for details - all welcome. Booking advised.
https://www.facebook.com/events/678197289 185865/

How would you want to be remembered in 100 years? Time capsules are containers filled with objects which tell you about the people who made them. Once time capsules are filled they are hidden away or buried, and left for someone in the future to find. During this workshop you can make your own time capsule. Get inspiration from our Remembrance exhibition, and think about the objects that are important to you.
Ellie Harrison is a performance maker and artist. She creates a ran...ge of solo and collaborative devised performance work for studios, galleries, found and public spaces. Participation is at the heart of all of her work as a performer, facilitator and mentor of young people. Her work is often characterised by a playful and provocative approach to difficult topics, encouraging audiences to make decisions and participate. You can find out more about her work here.
All children must be accompanied by an adult. No booking required. Fort further info ring 0113 3784079 or email abbey.house@leeds.gov.uk
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If you're out and about tomorrow or Sunday morning, why not bob into our education room and chat to us about some of our interesting museum objects between 10-11.45aam. All free, and there's some fun colouring in sheets provided too! Part of Kirkstall Art Trail 2018 https://kirkstallarttrail.com/

This weekend we'll be joining our sister site, Kirkstall Abbey, in celebrating Kirkstall Art Trail with some FREE activities. All ages welcome. Draw A Museum Object from 10-11.30am in our education space Pick up a Kirkstall Abbey art trail from our shop in opening hours and learn about the paintings of the Abbey on display here Also, for those entering the museum there are some fun Art Trail related crafts in our Victorian street.
... Follow the link below for more info from the official page, and to see a map of what's going on in the area. See you there! http://www.facebook.com/kirkstallarttrail
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**LAST CHANCE** Summer is almost upon us but before the schools break up, why not come along to the last in our series of Remembrance talks til September?
David Selway chats about memories of mining disasters next Tuesday at 2.45pm. Booking is essential (pay on the day) and the talk includes admission and a cuppa.
... https://www.facebook.com/events/911377682 377068/
David has also written a blog post tied to the exhbition , which can be viewed here: https://livingwithdying.leeds.ac.uk/…/d eath-underground-me…/
Interested? Give us a call 0113 3784079 or email Patrick.Bourne@leeds.gov.uk
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Looking forward to our first Friday fun sensory play session for children with additional needs tomorrow. There are still places if you would like to book and come along.

Thanks Sally Hughes for a thought provoking talk today on women as depicted in the collections of Leeds Libraries.
It's been a great season for talks here at Abbey House Museum. The summer holidays are almost upon us- but before they are, why not join us on for this moving talk to tie in with our 'Remembrance' exhibition - details below. https://www.facebook.com/events/911377682 377068/

We had a fantastic talk today by Dr Henry Irving on recycling and World War Two. Join us next week for Sally Hughes' exploration of the changing influence and role of women through Leeds Libraries' collections. Remember to book your place- details below. https://www.facebook.com/events/843658992 490037/

super museum with plenty for the kids to do

Went to see the ruins and on a off chance this was the first time I saw the museum! So my partner and I went in!

It really is an eye opener on how much things have changed! But also how some things haven’t!

Staff was approachable and friendly and was value for money!

It really was a great experience ! And all items are the original items ! Amazing highly would recommend!

Visited with my friend yesterday evening tried on the costumes to the delight of some of the staff. Very interesting museum. I visited over 30yrs ago and the street was just as I remembered then. The museum cafe is lovely which we visited at the end of our tour of the museum. We finished walking around the ruins and along the riverside walk which I would only recommend you wear hicking boots as the track is not an easy walk.

This is great for children around the age group recommended of 5. The exhibits are colourful and attracting with approptiate interactive options. The site is much bigger than in usages and represents Victorian quite well with small street sets and plenty of winding connections to the next adventure.

It is priced well and there is no fee for parking.

Eating there is a nice cafe, however whilst it is a reasonable size is is not really good for the size on the venue. It would be good if there was a stall outside with ready made sandwiches or pasties for children who want food NOW, with drinks and fruit.

Overall it's a winner, try to go midweek if you can for less congestion.

One of my favourite places to visit with the children and our visit yesterday was as good as ever. Friendly and helpful staff, really interesting displays (the victorian street sets are always a winner) and a great time had by 4 year old at the hands on silly science workshop (free with entry). Lots of fun on the top floor with the historic penny machines and the train tracks in the toy room. No visit complete without a visit to the lovely cafe. We'll be back soon! (why not join the Museum Friends group like us and get free entry?)

Lovely afternoon with my Grandchildren. At Abbey House. They especially liked the Magic Show and enjoyed dressing up !! Lunch in the cafe was good and staff were very helpful. Lots of activities to take part in and of course we finished in the gift shop and were able to find reasonably priced gift for each child. Staff were very polite and helpful throughout the visit. Would highly recommend.

Having a yummy coffee in the cafe after a fantastic time meeting santa at your relaxed santa event this morning xx Thank you all so much. :) and merry Christmas xx

Had a wonderful time with my little girl on a rainy day, lots to look at and very friendly staff, tea room nice and a lovely room to have a pot of tea, will go again in the next school holidays

First visit to the museum today with family (Inc 3 children aged 5 and 3) absolutely recommend this museum, it's a lot bigger than it looks and a brilliant victorian town downstairs. Upstairs is great for kids and one of the staff was great and very helpful. Can't believe we have never been before, massive thumbs up

First time we have been and it was a fantastic afternoon out for my 5 year old twins, and a nice surprise getting to hold reptiles and animals. Such a good afternoon thank you

Fabulous museum, yesterday we visited the museum where we were greeted with many stall holder dressed up, just was in ore all afternoon of the fabulous costumes and stalls that were full of interesting trinkets and jewellery ect. Cafe was very nice busting with life but great service and reasonable price for coffee ect. Looking forward to our next visit x

Fab place..been before..but its a place of so much history..the ruins..lovley walk around them to...

Excellent day had , forgot how great the Victorian street is due to not visiting in over 30 years.... couldn't resist dressing up in the Victorian clothes available.....the old arcade games were fab, fortune telling machines were fun.....even for the grown ups ha ha......over the road the Abbey is beautiful and free.....such great History and a good day out for all the family.

Awesome experience. Definitely worth the money. Go and visit if you have the chance. Really authentic. Super place. Kirkstall abbey located across the road is a fantastic place too...free entrance to the abbey. Bonus

Absolutely lovely. Fab coffee, cakes, lunches and very friendly staff, in a beautiful setting. Lots of space and spotlessly clean facilities. I love the wallpaper in the ladies. An interesting shop and bookshop with pocket money items as well as more expensive gifts. We sat outside under a tree on the grass with our coffee but spacious and cool area inside if wet or chilly. Really lovely.

A big thank you to all the staff at Abbey House for being part of a magical afternoon with Santa yesterday. All very friendly, helpful and genuinely enjoying their work. Santa was perfect and we had plenty of time to chat to him. So from Ben, Bella and Samuel...and their mummy, grandma and great grandma. .. Merry Christmas!

What a quaint little place enjoyed our tour. Kids enjoyed being able to touch & play with the toys. We were surprised the lenght of time we were actually inside for a little place you wunt think it could keep ya.

Nice to visit new places �

Great day out looking at the way how basic things were back in the Victorian era. We spend a good few hours there lapping up the history and finding out facts and objects.

A great day for adults as well as children, and such a reasonable cost for entry (£9 for 2 adults).

Across the road is the ruins of the Abbey (which is free) and for those who have small kids there was a play area next to the car park (which I shall add car parking also free).

I would recommend a visit.

I visited the Museum specifically to see the ‘A Woman’s Place?’ exhibition. I really enjoyed the exhibit but was slightly miffed at having to pay the admission fee for the whole of the Museum which I have seen fairly recently. I wouldn’t have minded paying a small charge for it incidentally but not the full museum charge.

super museum with plenty for the kids to do

Went to see the ruins and on a off chance this was the first time I saw the museum! So my partner and I went in!

It really is an eye opener on how much things have changed! But also how some things haven’t!

Staff was approachable and friendly and was value for money!

It really was a great experience ! And all items are the original items ! Amazing highly would recommend!

Visited with my friend yesterday evening tried on the costumes to the delight of some of the staff. Very interesting museum. I visited over 30yrs ago and the street was just as I remembered then. The museum cafe is lovely which we visited at the end of our tour of the museum. We finished walking around the ruins and along the riverside walk which I would only recommend you wear hicking boots as the track is not an easy walk.

This is great for children around the age group recommended of 5. The exhibits are colourful and attracting with approptiate interactive options. The site is much bigger than in usages and represents Victorian quite well with small street sets and plenty of winding connections to the next adventure.

It is priced well and there is no fee for parking.

Eating there is a nice cafe, however whilst it is a reasonable size is is not really good for the size on the venue. It would be good if there was a stall outside with ready made sandwiches or pasties for children who want food NOW, with drinks and fruit.

Overall it's a winner, try to go midweek if you can for less congestion.

One of my favourite places to visit with the children and our visit yesterday was as good as ever. Friendly and helpful staff, really interesting displays (the victorian street sets are always a winner) and a great time had by 4 year old at the hands on silly science workshop (free with entry). Lots of fun on the top floor with the historic penny machines and the train tracks in the toy room. No visit complete without a visit to the lovely cafe. We'll be back soon! (why not join the Museum Friends group like us and get free entry?)

Lovely afternoon with my Grandchildren. At Abbey House. They especially liked the Magic Show and enjoyed dressing up !! Lunch in the cafe was good and staff were very helpful. Lots of activities to take part in and of course we finished in the gift shop and were able to find reasonably priced gift for each child. Staff were very polite and helpful throughout the visit. Would highly recommend.

Having a yummy coffee in the cafe after a fantastic time meeting santa at your relaxed santa event this morning xx Thank you all so much. :) and merry Christmas xx

Had a wonderful time with my little girl on a rainy day, lots to look at and very friendly staff, tea room nice and a lovely room to have a pot of tea, will go again in the next school holidays

First visit to the museum today with family (Inc 3 children aged 5 and 3) absolutely recommend this museum, it's a lot bigger than it looks and a brilliant victorian town downstairs. Upstairs is great for kids and one of the staff was great and very helpful. Can't believe we have never been before, massive thumbs up

First time we have been and it was a fantastic afternoon out for my 5 year old twins, and a nice surprise getting to hold reptiles and animals. Such a good afternoon thank you

Fabulous museum, yesterday we visited the museum where we were greeted with many stall holder dressed up, just was in ore all afternoon of the fabulous costumes and stalls that were full of interesting trinkets and jewellery ect. Cafe was very nice busting with life but great service and reasonable price for coffee ect. Looking forward to our next visit x

Fab place..been before..but its a place of so much history..the ruins..lovley walk around them to...

Excellent day had , forgot how great the Victorian street is due to not visiting in over 30 years.... couldn't resist dressing up in the Victorian clothes available.....the old arcade games were fab, fortune telling machines were fun.....even for the grown ups ha ha......over the road the Abbey is beautiful and free.....such great History and a good day out for all the family.

Awesome experience. Definitely worth the money. Go and visit if you have the chance. Really authentic. Super place. Kirkstall abbey located across the road is a fantastic place too...free entrance to the abbey. Bonus

Absolutely lovely. Fab coffee, cakes, lunches and very friendly staff, in a beautiful setting. Lots of space and spotlessly clean facilities. I love the wallpaper in the ladies. An interesting shop and bookshop with pocket money items as well as more expensive gifts. We sat outside under a tree on the grass with our coffee but spacious and cool area inside if wet or chilly. Really lovely.

A big thank you to all the staff at Abbey House for being part of a magical afternoon with Santa yesterday. All very friendly, helpful and genuinely enjoying their work. Santa was perfect and we had plenty of time to chat to him. So from Ben, Bella and Samuel...and their mummy, grandma and great grandma. .. Merry Christmas!

What a quaint little place enjoyed our tour. Kids enjoyed being able to touch & play with the toys. We were surprised the lenght of time we were actually inside for a little place you wunt think it could keep ya.

Nice to visit new places �

Great day out looking at the way how basic things were back in the Victorian era. We spend a good few hours there lapping up the history and finding out facts and objects.

A great day for adults as well as children, and such a reasonable cost for entry (£9 for 2 adults).

Across the road is the ruins of the Abbey (which is free) and for those who have small kids there was a play area next to the car park (which I shall add car parking also free).

I would recommend a visit.

I visited the Museum specifically to see the ‘A Woman’s Place?’ exhibition. I really enjoyed the exhibit but was slightly miffed at having to pay the admission fee for the whole of the Museum which I have seen fairly recently. I wouldn’t have minded paying a small charge for it incidentally but not the full museum charge.