To the main content To the footer

Our Collections

 

We care for over 1.3 million objects, which we use to inspire, educate, entertain and challenge the people of Leeds and visitors to our city.

Only 5% of the Leeds Museums and Galleries collection can be displayed across our seven other venues, the rest is stored in our collection store or on loan to other museums nationally and internationally.

The Leeds Museums and Galleries collections of natural history, fine and decorative art and industrial history have been designated as collections of national significance.

Use this page to explore highlights from our collections. A number of objects and stories from our collections are also available to view on Google Arts & Culture.

Archaeology and Numismatics Collection

The Leeds archaeological collections are diverse, covering many thousands of years of history and prehistory, and representing a wide range of ancient cultures from around the world.

Fine Art Collection

The Leeds fine art collections are Designated as being of national and international significance. The collection has particular strengths in the areas of 18th and early 19th century English watercolours, 20th century British Art and a modern sculpture collection.

Dress and Textile Collection

The Leeds dress and textiles collection details the history of what people have worn in the past, and the textiles they have used for their clothing, furnishing and decorating their homes.

Decorative Arts Collection

The Leeds Decorative Arts collections are Designated as being of national and international importance. They are linked to local crafts people past and present, and feature major collections of furniture, ceramics, wallpapers, modern crafts, metalwork, textiles and costume.

World Cultures Collection

World Cultures is a significant collection area for Leeds, with over 12,000 items demonstrating the city’s historic links to the wider world, and the multicultural vibe of contemporary arts and culture.

Social History Collection

The Leeds social history collections started with an emphasis on ‘bygones’ and folk life in the 1920s. Reconstructed street displays at Abbey House were then added in the 1950s, recreating life in Victorian Leeds.

Natural Science Collection

The Leeds natural science collection comprises around 800,000 specimens, and is hugely diverse in terms of subject area, specimen type, and taxonomic range. It is designated as being of national and international significance.

Industrial History Collection

The Leeds industrial collections are largely based at Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills, and have been designated as of national and international significance.

Store Tours

When objects are not on display, they are stored all under one roof at Leeds Discovery Centre. Explore our collections on one of our free artefact store tours.

Donate

Learn how to donate to our collection

 

Archives

We have begun the task of bringing together material relating to our own history as a service, creating our own institutional archive. The archive contains photographs of old museum displays, historic posters and leaflets, gallery plans and more. We are currently busy making sure that these records are listed and accessible.

To find out more, subscribe to our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X to see the highlights of our archive.

Conservation

Without the work of our conservation team, many of the treasures in our collections would not be accessible to the public. The conservators look after the physical welfare of objects and the historic sites.

Looking after the collections may mean remedial treatment when a fragile object is damaged or dirty, but equally important is the prevention of any future damage by monitoring the object when it is on display, loan, storage or in transit.

Understanding the materials, construction and historic context of the objects is also vital when deciding on how to care for and treat the objects kept in trust for the people of Leeds.

More information on our work in this area is available in our Care and Conservation Policy.

 

A feathery object in a museum store

Research

Researchers and students can consult our collections in our purpose-built research room and can attend object handling sessions with our friendly and informative staff.

With over one million objects in the Leeds collection in state of the art facilities, there’s plenty to see and do.

Learn more about research and enquires.

Borrow

We hold over a million objects representing collections covering Anthropology, Archaeology, Costume and Textiles, Decorative and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, Numismatics and Social and Industrial History.

We encourage lending from our collections in order to make our fantastic resources available to a wider audience.

Find out how to borrow from us

A person operates a museum freezer

Quarantine freezer hire

Our large blast freezer will take up to the size of a bison and goes down to -30 degrees Celsius. It is located at Leeds Discovery Centre, with easy access for loading. It is a safe and effective means of pest control and disaster management for many types of organic materials such as textiles, taxidermy, ephemera and furniture.

To enquire about hiring the freezer please email museumsandgalleries@leeds.gov.uk.


Stay in touch

Sign up to receive email updates on our exhibitions, events, and more.

Leeds Ticket Hub is the data manager and approved ticketing partner managed by Leeds City Council.
By signing up to our mailing list you will only receive emails from Leeds Museums and Galleries,
and will not be creating an account with Leeds Ticket Hub.