Members Evening
1) It happened in Leeds – The 1875 Yorkshire Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures by Michael Meadowcroft
In 1875 Leeds hosted a huge “Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures”. Occupying a vast purpose-built temporary building on the yard of the Coloured Cloth Hall, it had royal patronage and was open for almost six months by which time no less than 642,250 people had been admitted!
2) Leeds’ response to children at risk of tuberculosis 1898-1960; with particular insights from life at The Hollies 1924-1960 – by David Cundall
Tuberculosis (TB) was a major scourge in the UK at the beginning of the twentieth century. The public health response had been transformed after Robert Koch discovered the bacterium that caused TB in 1882 and Leeds moved relatively quickly to set up TB sanatoria, a central clinic and home-visiting services. Children, initially regarded as innocent victims, came to be perceived as a reservoir of latent infection. The notion of ‘pre-tuberculosis’ in children became a powerful factor in health and education policy from 1908. Leeds had one of the first residential open-air schools for children at risk of tuberculosis, at Gateforth sanatorium near Selby (1913-1918), but was slow to replace this after the Great War; The Hollies did not open until 1924. By the mid-1930s, evidence showed that the concept of pre-tuberculosis was incorrect and preventoria ineffective, but The Hollies persisted as an institution for children at risk of TB until the late 1950s. Based on a detailed analysis of the logbook and register for The Hollies and other sources, this presentation will show how the unique cultural heft of TB, perceptions of poor children as both victims and threats, and pervasive anxieties about the health of the nation all interacted to drive the open-air school movement. Children’s voices were seldom heard in official accounts, but this study also includes insights from interviews with a few people who lived at The Hollies as children.
Joining the Thoresby Society offers a unique opportunity to engage deeply with the history and heritage of Leeds. Members enjoy exclusive access to our extensive archives, a complimentary annual publication, and a calendar of engaging talks, excursions, and events.