The Best Museums in Leeds

There are a lot of appealing factors that draw people into moving to Leeds or to stay within the city when planning a removal. The Britannia Turnbulls of Leeds blog will be focusing on some of the great things about the city that we have been proud to serve as a removal company for 150 years. The city of Leeds is now widely seen as one of the best areas for arts and cultures attractions in the UK and this is mainly down to the development and popularity of the following museums.

Leeds City Museum

Leeds City Museum officially reopened in September 2008 after a refurb and restyle to replace the old museum. Based in the heart of the city centre at Millennium Square, the museum is completely free and has a wide array of exhibitions. Some of the exhibitions show artwork, fossils as well as touching on the history of Leeds itself. The most famous attractions are “The Leeds Tiger” that the local community campaigned to keep at the museum and the coffin of Nesyamun which has been in Leeds since 1823 and has been dubbed “The Leeds Mummy”.

Leeds Art Gallery

Nearby to Leeds City Museum and neighbour to the impressive Leeds Town Hall & Municipal Buildings is the Leeds Art Gallery. Opened in 1888 in honour of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee the year prior, the galley features a wide collection of art which was labelled as of “national importance”. The galley was closed for most of 2016 for refurbishment with plans to reopen in late-2017.

Royal Armouries Museum

The Royal Armouries Museum is located in the Clarence Dock area of Leeds city centre and was purpose built for its opening in 1996. With free entry and live presentations, the museum displays the National Collection of Arms & Armour and is part of a group of Royal Armouries Museums. Some of which are located in the Tower of London, Hampshire and the USA.

Leeds Industrial Museum

Located in the Armley Mills which is a listed building and once the world’s largest woollen mill and between the River Aire and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, the Leeds Industrial Museum celebrates the industrial heritage of the city. It exhibits a range of textile machinery, railway equipment and heavy engineering.

Thackray Medical Museum

Opening in 1997 in one of the most impressive Victorian buildings in Leeds near the city’s St James’ Hospital, Thackray Medical Museum is the only museum of its kind in the north of England. Exhibiting an all-round history of medicine, it won Museum of the Year in 1998 as well as other tourism awards since. The building also featured on the TV show “Most Haunted” in 2015.

Abbey House Museum

The Abbey House Museum is based in Kirsktall, a few miles outside of Leeds city centre on one of the city’s main roads the A65. The road separates the museum and a more well-known landmark of the city’s – Kirsktall Abbey. The museum opened in 1927 and is mainly set out as a replica of a Victorian Street but also features art, social history and a history of Kirkstall Abbey as well.

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