ABBEY HOUSE MUSEUM
Opening Hours
Mon: closed
Tues – Fri: 10am – 5pm
Sat: 12 – 5pm
Sun: 10am – 5pm
Last admission: 4.30pm
Address
Abbey Walk
Kirkstall
Leeds
LS5 3EH
Ticket Provider
ABBEY HOUSE MUSEUM
Opening Hours
Mon: closed
Tues – Fri: 10am – 5pm
Sat: 12 – 5pm
Sun: 10am – 5pm
Last admission: 4.30pm
Address
Abbey Walk
Kirkstall
Leeds
LS5 3EH
Ticket Provider
LEEDS ART GALLERY
Opening Hours
Mon: Closed
Tues -Sat: 10am – 5pm
Sun: 11am – 3pm
Address
The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 3AA
LEEDS CITY MUSEUM
Opening Hours
Mon: closed (11am – 5pm on bank holidays)
Tues – Fri: 10am – 5pm
Sat & Sun: 11am – 5pm
Address
Leeds City Museum
Millennium Square
Leeds
LS2 8BH
Ticket Provider
LEEDS DISCOVERY CENTRE
Opening Hours
Visits by appointment/special event only.
Free public store tours are now available by booking in advance. Please call or email us.
Address
Leeds Discovery Centre
Off Carlisle Road
Leeds
LS10 1LB
LEEDS INDUSTRIAL MUSEUM
Opening Hours
Mon: Closed (10am – 5pm on bank holiday Mondays)
Tues – Fri: 10am – 5pm
Sat – Sun: 12 – 5pm
Last admission one hour before closing.
Address
Canal Road
Leeds
LS12 2QF
KIRKSTALL ABBEY
Opening Hours
Mon: closed (10am – 4pm on bank holidays)
Tues – Sun: 10am – 4.30pm
Last admission: 4pm
Address
Abbey Road
Kirkstall
Leeds
LS5 3EH
Ticket Provider
LOTHERTON
Opening Hours
Open Daily
Estate opens: 7.30am
Hall: Open (Downstairs only) 10am-5pm
Wildlife World: 10am – 5pm
Estate closes: 7pm
Last entry 45 mins before estate closing time
TEMPLE NEWSAM
Opening Hours
House: Tues – Sun: 10.30am – 5pm
Home Farm: Tues – Sun: 10am – 5pm
Last entry 45 minutes before
THWAITE WATERMILL
Address
Thwaite Lane
Stourton
Leeds
LS10 1RP
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Stunning butterfly collection is a flight for sore eyes
Leeds Discovery Centre News, NewsA colourful kaleidoscope of some of the world’s rarest and most beautiful butterflies has been carefully conserved by experts in Leeds.
The stunning array of winged insects housed at Leeds Discovery Centre includes hundreds of species from across the globe, many collected by explorers and scientists more than a century ago.
The precious collection is being carefully counted and conserved ahead of a series of behind-the-scenes tours of the impressive centre, which will take place over the school half term holidays.
Among the butterflies and moths which can be found at the centre is a magnificent example of a Blue Morpho, among the largest butterflies in the world, with wings spanning from five to eight inches.
Found in Central and South America, the butterfly’s vivid blue colouring comes from light reflected off microscopic scales on the backs of its wings.
Other examples include a number of Sloane’s Urania, an extinct species of moth with iridescent red, blue and green markings, which was is believed to have been wiped out in the late 1890s due to habitat loss in its native Jamaica.
The moth takes its name from English collector Sir Hans Sloane, whose own collection became the foundation of the British Museum.
Also part of the collection are a number of Rajah Brooke’s birdwings, an electric green and black butterfly found in the rainforests of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Natuna, Sumatra.
The examples in the Leeds collection were among objects seized from smugglers who had attempted to illegally import them into the UK.
Clare Brown, Leeds Museums and Galleries’ curator of natural sciences, said: “Butterflies and moths are among the most visually stunning insects in the world, and you can clearly see from the scope and beauty of our collection how much they have fascinated humans through the ages.
“Seeing these unique, incredible colours and shapes for the first time in the wild must have been a genuinely unforgettable and captivating experience.
“Sadly the fact that many of the species have since become endangered or even extinct also demonstrates both their fragility and the importance of learning from collections like ours, so we can ensure these remarkable insects and their precarious habitats are protected.”
Collecting specimens of animals and insects became a popular pursuit for Western explorers and scientists from around the seventeenth century.
Wealthy collectors would pay handsomely for specimens brought back from expeditions, and many of the world’s largest and oldest collections were created this way.
However, more recently, awareness about the impact of collecting on insects and their habitats has led to more sustainable and ethical methods of study and collection.
Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, culture and education, said: “Our world class museums and galleries collection includes some incredible examples of animals and insects from around the world.
“This gives visitors the opportunity to both learn about them and to consider the impact our actions, collectively and individually, have on the world around us and how we can better protect our planet and its vulnerable species.”
Free, behind-the-scenes tours of Leeds Discovery centre are taking place over the February half term week and must be booked in advance.
To find out more about times and how to book, please visit: What’s on at Leeds Discovery Centre – Leeds Museums & Galleries