Abbey House Museum
Abbey House Museum is a fun, family friendly, award winning museum. Explore our recreated Victorian streets and step back in time to 1880s Leeds. Wander between the pub and the Sunday school, the grocers to the chemist and take a closer look at the shops and homes of the Victorians. Stroll upstairs to our Childhood Galleries and discover our wonderful collection of toys through time from Victorian dolls houses to a 1976 Dalek. Our special exhibitions gallery and youth and community display space showcase an exciting programme of changing exhibitions throughout the year. Don't forget to visit the Gate House Café for morning coffee, a light lunch or afternoon tea and the shop for souvenirs and gifts inspired by our collections.
Venue Type:
Museum, Historic house or home, Garden, parklands or rural site
Additional info
Access:
For information on access at this venue, please visit http://www.leeds.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries/Pages/abbeyhouse/Access-at-Abbey-House-Museum.aspx
Please see our event details for regular activities for families, children and adults. You can also find details of our school holiday activites, exhibitions and education workshops for schools.
The museum is also available for children's birthday parties. Please call for prices and availability.
Open to the public is our gift shop and Gatehouse Cafe (no museum admission necessary) serving drinks, hot and cold meals and snacks.
The museum holds large and important social history collections. This includes an archive relating to the Suffragette campaigns of Mrs Leonora Cohen (b.1873) who was one of the first women in Leeds to start campaigning for votes for women.
Leeds Museums have been collecting toys, dolls and games since at least the 1920s and now hold one of the major collections in the country. Abbey House Museum displays many acquistions from this collection along with Armley Mills Industrial Museum.
Abbey House Museum also houses a collection of period costume.
Collection details
Archaeology, Archives, Costume and Textiles, Social History, Toys and Hobbies
Primary School Workshops
Classes will be split into 2 groups for each workshop, each group spending 45 minutes in the workshop and 45 minutes exploring the museum's galleries with their responsible adult. The following workshops are led by a member of the museum's freelance education staff and provide the opportunity to handle and explore objects from the museum's collections: Toys and Games £45 per class, Houses and Homes £45 per class, Shops and Shopping £45 per class, Going to the Seaside with craft activity £50 per class, Victorian Christmas with craft activity £50, Meet the Victorians FREE.
The Monkey Club
A drop-in morning for children aged 0-5 years and their carers. Enjoy craft activities, games and make friends together at Abbey House Museum. 10.15-12.00, normal admission applies (children are free) with no extra charge.
Dates for 2009 are as follows: 24th February, 25th March, 22nd April, 20th May, 17th June, 15th July, 12th August, 16th September, 14th October, 11th November, 9th December. No booking necessary. Call for more details.
How to obtain
The Monkey Club activities are free - just drop in.
Getting there
Local transport information:
Bus numbers 33, 33a and 757 travel from the city centre to Kirkstall Road.
The nearest train stations are Kirkstall Forge, c.1 mile away, and Headingley, a 1 mile walk. Contact Metroline for up-to-date travel information on (0113) 245 7676.
By car: If you are using a route planner, our postcode is LS5 3EH.
Parking: A large free car park is situated next to Abbey House Museum on Abbey Walk. This includes disabled parking.
There is an additional disabled access parking space immediately outside the museum entrance.
Abbey House Museum
Abbey Walk
Abbey Rd
Kirkstall
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS5 3EH
England
Website
Telephone
0113 378 4079
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