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‘Peaceful Women’ visits Bradford and Keighley Local Studies Library during International Women’s Week 2019

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‘Peaceful Women’ is a performance exploring local women who campaigned for peace during WW1 and following the end of WW1 and their efforts to use peaceful methods for change.

All are welcome to join Irene Lofthouse , local author, playwright, actor and historian, at Keighley Local Studies Library on Wednesday 6th March for a performance of ‘Peaceful Women’.  This is a free event, open to all. It will take place between 1.15pm and 2.45pm.

There will also be events for invited schools in Bradford and Keighley Local Studies Libraries over the course of the week.

‘Mrs Norton’ (Irene Lofthouse) retold her story as a suffragette for Bradford Local Studies Libraries during 2018. This year she will introduce ‘Peaceful Women’ characterising each person through voice and props.

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Irene Lofthouse as Mrs Norton

The interactive performances will raise awareness of known and hidden histories of local women and their impact locally and nationally. It will connect the local past with its present and future through an informative and entertaining piece of theatre.

Libraries will have a display of archive materials for audiences to explore hands on and ‘Mrs Norton’ will answer questions.

Ian Dewhirst MBE

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We are very sad to hear the news that Ian Dewhirst has passed away:

‘He will be greatly missed by all those many, many people who had the delight of his company, his knowledge and enthusiasm for local history and his constant support for those of us working to collect and share the local history of Keighley and the district of Bradford.’

Maggie Pedley Libraries, Museums and Galleries Manager

‘If you are a native of Keighley you probably don’t think of a Keighley without an Ian Dewhirst. It seems somehow that he was woven into the very fabric of the town itself.

Keighley has not only lost its greatest authority on its own history but also one its most exciting and entertaining  public speakers, a dedicated custodian and protector of its heritage and a valuable source of knowledge for the local historian. He was a man generous with his time and expertise and a man with a great sense of humour.

It has been a privilege to hear him speak over the years and all us Keighlians owe him an immense debt of gratitude for what he has done for not only Keighley but also the library and its archives in his long and remarkable career.’

Rest in Peace Ian.’

Simon Rourke, Team Leader, Keighley Library

“Ian Dewhirst was a true historian and a joy and inspiration to all who had the privilege to know him. He showed us how our history is shaped by personalities who live on by virtue of what they leave behind. His legacy will live on through his wonderful life and work.”

Caroline Brown, Keighley Library 

Please click here for more tributes

‘With the help of Keighley Library, I have arranged for a condolences book to be placed in the entrance of Keighley Library for anyone who wants to write a few words in remembrance  of the late great Ian Dewhirst MBE. It will then be kept in Keighley Archives as a lasting tribute to Ian.

 If you have been inspired, helped, educated or entertained by Ian Dewhirst over the years please come along to the library and share your memories of him and offer your condolences so that future generations can learn first hand from the people of Keighley what an important contribution he made to Keighley, to its history and to its people.’

Regards,

Charlie Bhowmick M.B.E.

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Keighley Local Studies Re-opens

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The work on Keighley Local Studies staircase has been done and Keighley Local Studies will be open as normal from tomorrow at 9.00 am.

We apologise for any incovenience caused while these works were carried out.

Temporary Closure of Keighley Local Studies

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UPDATE 1pm 2nd January

Keighley Local Studies is currently closed to the public due to a structural assessment and repair to the stone cantilever staircase on the Albert street side of the building.

On the advice of our Building and Technical Services, Local Studies is closed to accommodate the work. The matter is being treated as a priority by the aforementioned Service.

In the meantime Local Studies materials will, where possible, be made available to the general public on request in the main Library. However, some notice may be required to allow for resources be brought to the ground floor for viewing .

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Regular updates will be provided via our website, social media and notices displayed in the Library.

Temporary Closure of Keighley Local Studies Library

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Keighley Local Studies Library will close for a week from Monday 26th November for Collections Week.

The Keighley Lending Library will remain open.

The week’s closure will enable work to be carried out on a section of the large collection of Local Authority material with the aim of increasing convenience of user access and ensuring that these unique items are stored in the best way possible for future preservation.

This collection which originated in Keighley Town Hall consists mainly of rate books from local Urban District Councils and Townships including Morton, Oakworth,  Oxenhope, Haworth and of course Keighley.

The collection also includes UDC committee minutes, account books and various administrative records.

The earlier records date from 1820 and many of the items are a unique source of information representing the early and middle part of the 19th century for the area.

As records of people and places for the central period of the industrial revolution, these archives are used by a wide range of researchers. They provide an important source of local, social and economic historical information.

UDC committee minutes are also popularly used for the history of villages and their pattern of development.

Local Authority archives are a valued source of information for present day conservation area assessment reports and restoration projects such as Keighley’s North Parade and Royal Arcade.

Rate books are also becoming increasingly requested records of research due to the continuing and growing popularity of family history and house history. They give information on the owner/occupier of the property and in some cases,  a description and details of size.

A selection of items from the Local Authority archives will be on display when the Local Studies Library reopens on Monday 3rd December..