Decades of Youth: Growing Up In Twentieth Century Leeds

Our next Community History display at Abbey House Museum will focus on what it was like to be a young person growing up in different eras. It will be curated with Abbey House’s Vintage Youth Group,  who are all between 13 and 24 years old. 

Share your memories!
The Vintage Youth Group want to hear from you and your memories of being between 13 and 24 in different decades, from the 1940s and 50s, through the 60s and 70s, to the 80s, 90s and Noughties.

The big question we want to answer is: how has the experience of being a young person in Leeds changed?

We want your comments and memories, but also any photos you may have of yourselves as young people to form part of a montage in the exhibition.  We also want your memories to inform what objects we put on display.

Tell us about your teenage years
We'd like to know what was important to you when you were young? Was it getting your first job, or furthering your studies?

Were you socialising out with friends?  Listening to the latest music? Were you dedicated follower of the latest fashion?  What hobbies and interests did you have?

Did you undertake National Service or were you letting your hair down?  Were you among the first wave of 18 year olds casting your vote? Finding love? Setting up home?

Teddy boy, Glam chick, Mod, Rocker, Punk, Disco diva, Goth, Britpop fan or true individual, we want to hear from you.

How to share your memories:
Post your memories in the comments section below, on our Facebook page, via Twitter, or email me at Patrick.Bourne@leeds.gov.uk

We’d also love to see any pictures of you in your ‘era’ so don't be shy in sharing them with us on social media! We have an Instagram account @leedsmuseumsandgalleries, so do tag us in any photos. 

The Decades of Youth display will launch on July 30 2016 at Abbey House Museum.

Jim the Duck

Community History Curator Marek (right) & Jim

Its 1:00pm Wednesday 19th February 2014 and I’m sitting in a busy Starbucks on Albion Street waiting to meet the two lovely Debbies from Peer Support and someone I always look forward to seeing, my mate Jim.

I first met Jim a few years ago when he joined our Peer Support Cultural Partnership programme for people living with dementia. 

What is Peer Support?

The Peer Support partnership was formed nearly five years ago and I believe our work gets better with each new project. The organisations involved are Peer Support Services (Adult Social Care), West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds Libraries and Leeds Museums and Galleries. We normally run a two hour session on a Tuesday afternoon, over a 12-14 week period, twice a year. 

The sessions take place at our various sites and contain a mixture of performances, behind-the-scenes tours, object handling, reminiscence, and craft activities that all draw from our service strengths and follow a connecting theme. So far we have covered a variety of topics including: Thinking Arts, Playing the Part, Magic & Mystery, Performing Puppets, Musical Memories and recently Wild Worlds. What’s great about this work is that whatever we do, we all take part, services users, support workers and staff. It means everyone involved is treated the same.

When Marek met Jim:

During a puppet making session at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, I was paired with Jim to create a puppet, which was mainly made up of scrunched up brown paper. The beauty of the activity was anyone could do it; we were all ‘playing on a level field’. Jim and I had chatted a few times before, especially about football, after we found out we both share a love for the game, but during this simple activity we really bonded. 

The artist leading the session suggested the puppets could be animals or humans, so because I knew that like me, Jim was up for having a laugh about himself, I suggested we use him as inspiration to make an animal. Somehow we chose a duck and ‘Jim the Duck’ was born. It was great fun and since then we’ve had a real connection and laugh about it when we meet. On finishing the puppet, Jim said “well that’s my grandson’s Christmas present sorted” and when we met a week later he’d ask “where’s that duck?”

What I guess I didn’t realise until recently was how much he valued our chats and the difference our laughs made to his week. We were in between our two yearly programmes, when one of the Debbie’s from Peer Support contacted me to say Jim had been asking about me and wanted to show me his football trophies. He had brought them to other support sessions thinking he might bump into me. It was so heart-warming to hear that. The Debbies and I decided to organise a get together for a coffee so Jim and I could meet up. This afternoon we looked at his football trophies and a photo album he’d brought but most importantly we made each other laugh, slipping into the banter we share at our sessions.

The last time I had seen Jim before this meeting was at the West Yorkshire Playhouse when we went to see ‘The Jungle Book’ as a group, celebrating the end of the ‘Wild Worlds’ programme. As we were being ushered in to the busy theatre I didn’t actually get a chance to say “hello” but I saw him and his wife out of the corner of my eye and over heard him say “See that lad over there, that’s my mate Marek”.

By Marek Romaniszyn, Assistant Curator of Community History

Leah Mellors – Community History Cataloguing Internship Report

Leah Mellors – Community History Cataloguing Internship Report

I have spent 30 days working with Marek Romaniszyn, in the Community History team at Leeds Museum Discovery Centre, documenting his digital film archive and a collection of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic objects.

Community Film Archive

The digital film archive contained around 70 films that needed to be documented retrospectively. The films included the ‘Contemporary Collectors’ series, the ‘Faith in the City’ series and the ‘A Greener City’ series and most had accompanied an exhibition or display in the Leeds City Museum. I watched each film, taking detailed notes on what was said by the interviewees and, where possible, took direct quotations from the films. These quotations helped to give a greater insight into the content of the films but also gave some of the descriptions a more light-hearted feel. Having taken detailed notes, I documented each film on ‘The Museum System’ database, recording information such as provenance, constituents, exhibition history and date. I wrote a comprehensive description of each film, which could also be used on the website.

Having ensured that each film had a full database record, we needed to create a DVD playable copy and a MP4 data copy of each film. I burned a MP4 data copy of each film onto an archival-grade disc, whilst the DVD copies were burned by an external party, as the software was not available to us. Each disc was labelled with its title and accession number and placed in storage boxes. Seeing all 140 discs neatly labelled and lined up in their storage boxes was surprisingly satisfying! All the films were then placed in the Discovery Centre store and located on the database.

Not only did this project give me a thorough understanding of documentation using a museum database, it also gave me a really good insight into oral history films and how they can be used to complement an exhibition. It was fascinating to hear people’s experiences and memories and I learnt a lot about Leeds and the different perspectives, cultures and faiths in the city. By far my favourite series of films was ‘Faith in the City’: I have always been interested in religion and belief and these films taught me a great deal about different faiths, from the first-hand perspective of ordinary people practising religion in Leeds. 

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic collection

Alongside the documentation of the digital film archive, I also documented a collection of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic objects that had been collected by Marek. Many of these objects related to the Olympic and Paralympic experience in Leeds and included the lamp that carried the Paralympic flame to Leeds and a wheel-guard from the Canadian Wheelchair Rugby team, who stayed in Leeds to complete their pre-Games training.

I completed the documentation process of these objects from start to finish. Firstly, I assisted with ‘Entry’ and ‘Transfer of Title’ forms, to accession the objects. Then, I labelled the objects with their accession numbers, either writing the number onto the object using ink and varnish or writing the number onto cotton tape and sewing this into textile items. I photographed the objects before recording information such as date, provenance, materials, dimensions and physical condition. Some research into the context of the objects was also required. All of this information was input onto ‘The Museum System’ database, before the objects were packed into boxes and stored in the Discovery Centre store.

 

As with the digital film archive, this project taught me about the documentation process for objects and the minimum standard of information required. It was really useful to see the entire process from beginning to end. I also learnt how to pack objects with acid-free tissue paper, using rolls of tissue-paper to cushion the folds of textiles. More than anything, this project improved my confidence when handling objects and an unexpected bonus was a slight improvement in my sewing skills!

I have really enjoyed my time as an intern here and have gained valuable experience, especially in documentation. I have also gained a good awareness of conservation and outreach work, simply by speaking to members of staff and sitting-in on outreach sessions. I have recently secured a full-time curatorial traineeship at the Herbert Museum in Coventry and the skills and experience I learnt during my internship at the Discovery Centre undoubtedly helped me to secure this job. I am very grateful to have been given such a great opportunity. 

Leah Mellors April 2013



'Firestarters'

Leeds Olympic Torchbearers 2012

 

Following up on the immense success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Community History Team at the Discovery Centre has been working on a film project to capture a sample of the Leeds 2012 Olympic Torchbearers stories. This years’ sporting event captured the hearts of many people all over the country and the Torch Relay was a huge part of the build up.



(behind the scenes image of film shoot with Paul and Ollie) 



(Simon Brown)
(behind the scenes image of film shoot with Paul and Ollie) 



The Torch came to Leeds from Manchester on Day 37, June 24^th and left Leeds to go to Sheffield on Day 38, June 25^th. During those two days a number of outstanding individuals, nominated by the local community, carried the torch through Leeds.

The Community History Team wanted to find out who these people were and why they were chosen. Over two days filming, we interviewed eight Torchbearers, who all had different personal stories to tell.



(Francis Edwards)
(behind the scenes image of film shoot with Paul and Ollie) 



(Yvonne Crowther)
(behind the scenes image of film shoot with Paul and Ollie) 

This film and a selection of objects, with Leeds links, from the 2012 Games will be displayed at the City Museum later this year and accessioned into the Leeds Museums & Galleries Collections.

Author: Marek Romaniszyn (Assistant Curator of Community History)





'All You Need Is Love' a celebration of love & commitment

The Community History Team has been working on a film project with a selection of local couples from different backgrounds to explore the theme of love and commitment. The project has focused on the rituals and traditions associated with different unions, faiths and cultures. Our five couples have been interviewed and filmed at home talking about their individual stories of 'courtship' and ‘tying the knot’.

Kate & Helen
(personal image from their wedding album)

This has included couples who are already married, those planning to get married in the very near future and one couple who have entered into a Civil Partnership. The couples all have a connection to Leeds and shared their tales of how they met, when and how they decided to make a long term commitment, their hopes for the ‘big day’ and their life together afterwards – what makes for a happy marriage. 

Our co-curated display to accompany the film will include the wedding attire borrowed from the five couples, ephemera from the day and some of the Leeds Museums and Galleries collections connected to the theme, from Greek wedding bread to Thai silk given as a gift to the wedding guests. All the footage was shot between July and September of this year.

Here are a couple of images from the five film shoots we did with Digifish Media Productions:

Julia & Stephen
(behind the scenes image of film shoot with Paul and Ollie) 



Zofia & Kieran
(behind the scenes image of film shoot with Paul and Ollie) 



All of the objects collected and footage captured will be on display in the Leeds City Museum (The Leeds Story Gallery - Community History Cases) from mid December 2012 until mid July 2013.

There will also be a display of paintings on the community corridor on the theme of ‘Enduring Love’ curated by local artist Marcia Brown and her students.

Author: Marek Romaniszyn (Assistant Curator of Community History)

In The Zone - Leeds Women In Sport 2012

Leeds women's sporting achievements have been historically underrepresented in our 

collections and with the 2012 London Olympics taking place this year, we wanted to focus some of our collecting on local women in sport.

'In The Zone' is a collection of objects and short films seeking to capture a snapshot of 'Leeds Women In Sport 2012'. We wanted to highlight some of the drive, strength and skill of these local sporting heroines. Our co-curated display involves five local sports professionals who were filmed training and talking about their individual stories. All the footage was shot between 

March and May of this year, and each participant selected and donated objects which will be accessioned into our collections.

It is important for us to continue to collect contemporary material for today’s public and the audience of tomorrow.

Here are some behind the scenes images of the five film shoots taking place with Digifish Media Productions:



Annie Birtwell at Scott Hall Sports Centre



Anne Bochmann at John Charles Centre for Sport



Debbie Fleming at The Fitness Academy



Claire Cashmore at John Charles Centre for Sport



Saima Hussain at Mount St. Mary's Catholic High School



All of the objects collected and footage captured will be on display at the Leeds City Museum (The Leeds Story Gallery - Community History Case) from July 19th until mid December 2012.

Author: Marek Romaniszyn (Assistant Curator of Community History)

“Did I tell you I was a train driver in Africa…?”

Noticing that the subtitle title of the blog is “Exploring the secret histories of the collections” I thought you might be interested in some of the on-going stories an object collects through its life whilst in the collection but outreaching into the community.

Last year I began running series' of reminiscence sessions at Wheatfields and St. Gemma’s Hospices in North Leeds. I am always taken off guard by the seemingly never-ending ability of objects to get people talking, not just about museums-approved stories but offering the most amazing personal details and memories of past adventures.

Once we get past the initial assumption that the “lady from the museum” (always makes me look round for the lady!) is here to deliver an in-depth lecture on 13th Century Bell Ringing or the complex mating rituals of the common fig wasp, we can get down to the business of “here’s something you might find interesting…did you ever…?” – insert open-ended / humorous question here. People to date have generally contributed willingly - apart from the man who told me it was none of my business after I phrased a question poorly (serves me right for prying).

Unlikely objects which have precipitated good stories have included a 1970s skateboard, alongside which I asked a question about dangerous things people used to do when they were younger. I was bombarded with tales of tree climbing (and falling), rope swinging, “bogey” making (apparently nothing to do with nasal nastiness but making a steerable go-kart out of old pram wheels) and the seemingly ancient Yorkshire pastime of “chumping”.

One gentleman told me with great relish about his group of mates who were paid by a local farmer to gather firewood for the November bonfire. Every year they deliberately piled the wood just a little too close for comfort to the gentleman farmer’s barn wall thereby necessitating another payment to get the pile moved to a safer distance! When asked if the farmer ever got annoyed at this quite transparent money-making venture, the man replied, “Well, he kept paying us!”

During a session on the topic of food and drink, I pulled out a “can opener” from the mystery box of outreach dreams and unwrapped it explaining that it was from our “customs collection” and was made from the tooth of a hippopotamus. I was pontificating about how a whole hippo had died to make what really amounted to quite a pathetic kitchen implement only to be interrupted by a strident voice telling me that I’d got it wrong.

I assured the gentleman that I probably, most certainly was wrong and, offering it as a glaring example of my ignorance, I told the group that my real reason for visiting was in order to fix my highly inadequate “southern” education by soaking up any pearls of wisdom offered by the generous souls I meet. What I actually said was “Well, that’s what it says on the box but I’m not from round these parts so what’s the real answer?” - only to be roundly informed that it was, of course, a can piercer the kind of which one might use to puncture air holes in a can of evaporated milk in order to drink it (apparently a nice thing rather than a punishment) or pour it on your pie.

Imagine then a discussion about people’s cream / custard / condensed milk preferences, tales of hiding food from stern and eagle-eyed dinner ladies, “scrumping” in orchards, making home-made toffee apples out of the caramelised dregs of sugar cane in the corner of a farmer’s field and serving a pint of ale in one powerful pull of the pump (the tiny lady who contributed this little gem spoke so proudly) and then a voice cutting through it all with:

“Did I ever tell you about the time I ran over a hippopotamus with my train?”

The low murmur of conversation around the room disappeared. We searched the room for the speaker who turned out to be the gentleman who had spent the majority of the previous hour drifting in and out of sleep (quite normal for all my sessions).

Tea cups were rattling - a sure sign that I was soon to pack up and leave - but I just got time to hear about the long, heavy cargo trains he had driven across vast areas of sparsely populated, post-war East Africa. He’d seen the beast straddling the tracks too late to stop and the resulting “knock” hadn’t derailed the engine but had left the creature looking “not very clever”. Dead of course - mercifully by the sounds of it!

I feel truly privileged to have heard such an excellent tale! And how bizarre that it was inspired by an object which had been brought to start conversations about people’s food and drink memories.
Seeing the gentleman holding the hippo tooth, telling his tale to an astounded audience and the gentle smile of a good memory remembered was priceless. Call it stolen, call it borrowed but his story has become part of my set of stories I can use to engage people’s interest in the objects I use for outreach. And all good stories should be retold!...

The Secret Lives of Contemporary Collectors

Since the Leeds City Museum re-opened in 2008, the Community History department has been committed to inviting local collectors to display some of their contemporary collections in our Collectors Cabinet Gallery.

So far we have hosted ten collectors displays that have included; Disney, teddy bears, Star Trek, soap powder boxes, half-dolls, Lord of the Rings, Black History, Snow Globes & Cocktail Sticks, Spice Girls and our current Cher display, see image below.

The objects are only half of the exhibition as each display is accompanied by a short film of the collector being interviewed. These are generally recorded at peoples homes so we can capture the way their houses can act as mini museums themselves!

Here are a couple of behind the scenes photos of us filming our next two collectors, Maria and Mary.

If you have a collection you would like to display at the City Museum in the future, please contact Marek Romaniszyn (Assistant Curator of Community History) at the Leeds Museum Discovery Centre.