A really super day in Leeds City Centre on Thursday 5th December, visiting Kirkgate Market – which opened almost 170 years ago – and the birthplace of Marks & Spencer. Taking the Leeds Heritage Trail the group walked through Leeds with a lunch break at the Herbarium Cafe in the Leeds City Museum. A highlight of the walk was the opportunity to view the First White Cloth Hall of Leeds and we are grateful to Richard Baker for opening the building especially for us. We will learn more about the cloth halls of Leeds when Dr Kevin Grady (former Director of Leeds Civic Trust) visits us in January.
Onwards after lunch to visit the M&S archive which is situated in the Michael Marks building within the University of Leeds. Katie the archivist gave an engaging talk about the history of window dressing and showed us some marvellous images from yesteryear and video clips from the 1960s!
