The Men of Worth Project’s research over the past 23 years has given us a unique insight into the people of Keighley who fell in the war and we have found over 100 names of local people who served and died in the Great War, who are not named in the Borough of Keighley Great War roll of honour.
In this centenary year we are adding over100 new names to the roll of honour.
Find out why they are being added and how we are honouring them.
21st September 2024 at Keighley Library
This unique exhibition by the Men of Worth Project will be display upstairs in the Local Studies Library from 10am.
A free talk about the research will be held at 10.30am by Andy Wade.
As many of you will know, Keighley Library is 120 years old this year. It was the first library in England to be financed by the Scottish American billionaire and educational philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie and is an architectural gem of the town. It opened its doors on 20 August 1904 and to celebrate this milestone, staff are launching a programme of events for the next 12 months. All details will be published in due course on this web site.
To start the programme, however, the library was fortunate enough to host a talk given by the Keighley & District Local History Society with a very fine speaker, committee member, Tim Neal. Tim had done a great deal of research from the Society’s own archives and local contacts. He also spent a lot of time looking at the Keighley Local Studies library history archive.
The talk was lavishly illustrated with a slide presentation that made the most of the archive records used and reflected the thoroughness of Tim’s research as he concentrated on key dates and developments in Keighley Library’s history up to the present day. However, if this all sounds a bit dusty bookish, I can assure you that the audience thought very differently and speaking to a few of the fifty-five audience members afterwards, it was clear that Tim captured and stimulated interest not just in Keighley’s library but in the development of libraries in general that also reflects changes in culture and society and of course in technology. Similarly, and in true Dr Ian Dewhirst MBE fashion, we were also treated to humorous anecdotes and observations of the strange and wonderfully quirky.
This quite brilliant and entertaining talk, we are pleased to announce, will be repeated later this year on 30th November at Keighley Library on a full day of 120 years’ celebrations, please look out for more details in the future. In the meantime, we should like to thank Tim Neal and Joyce Newton, committee members, and all those who supported the event.
If anyone is interested in pursuing the library history of the district itself, copies of Bob Duckett’s fully illustrated recently published book, “150 Years of Bradford Free Libraries 1872-2022”, is still available for sale in libraries at a modest price of £9.99. It is also available for reference and loan within Bradford Libraries, (Bradford Libraries, 2023, ISBN 978-1-7390826-0-4).
Keighley Local History Society is very popular in the district and has a lively programme of events and talks with an excellent web site that is updated regularly, showcasing an online archive with thousands of images: www.keighleyhistory.org.uk
These talks are given by members of FoBALS (Friends of Bradford Archives & Local Studies) with Bradford Local Studies Library and West Yorkshire Archives Bradford.
‘Book Treasures in Local Studies’ – an illustrated talk by Bob Duckett Thursday 25th April Doors open at 1pm for a 1.15pm start. Free entry to all events. Booking essential.
The Bradford ‘Free’ Library was established in 1872 and from the start efforts were made to collect books and other items of local interest and the collections have developed over many years. Come along and hear Bob speak about some of the ‘Treasures’ from these collections. There will be the opportunity to view some of these items on display.
Bob Duckett is widely known as Bradford’s Reference Librarian before retirement. Since retirement Bob has been a volunteer in a number of libraries including Bradford Local Studies Library.
For more information or to book a place please telephone or email Bradford Local Studies Library, Telephone 01274 433688, Email local.studies@bradford.gov.uk.
Bradford Local Studies Library, Margaret McMillan Tower, Princes Way, BD1 1NN.
Dr Simon Ross Valentine: ‘The Royal Statues of Bradford City Hall: A History Lesson in Stone’, an illustrated talk.
Thursday 29th February, 1.15pm, Bradford Local Studies Library. Margaret McMillan Tower, Princes Way, BD1 1NN.
Well known writer, journalist and local historian Dr Simon Ross Valentine will give an illustrated talk on the magnificent series of statues that adorn the exterior walls of Bradford City Hall. The statues, each seven foot high and life-like in every detail, comprise a history lesson in stone revealing the history of England and Bradford’s place in it. Come along and learn about this unique series of sculptures; how and why they were made and the controversy surrounding at least one of the effigies.
These talks are given by members of FoBALS (Friends of Bradford Archives & Local Studies) with Bradford Local Studies Library and West Yorkshire Archives Bradford.
Doors open at 1pm for a 1.15pm start. Free entry to all events but booking is essential.
For more information or to book a place please telephone or email Bradford Local Studies Library, Telephone 01274 433688, Email: local.studies@bradford.gov.uk
Please note, Keighley Local Studies Library will be CLOSED to visitors for a week from Monday 12th to Saturday 17th February for essential collections work
During this time, the team will be working on the Local Studies and Archive collections in our care and will only be able to respond to urgent enquiries.
Normal opening hours will resume the following week.
