Blogs.
Leeds Museums & Galleries Reopening
8th September 2020
The team at Leeds Museums & Galleries are excited to be able to welcome you back again. Here’s what to expect when you visit…
At Leeds Museums & Galleries, we have slowly started the phased reopening of our nine attractions and hope to have them fully open once again by September. Throughout lockdown we have been running a steady programme of online activities, workshops and exhibitions as part of our Virtual Visit offer to help keep everyone engaged and entertained during these difficult times.
We’re now delighted to be welcoming visitors once again and have worked really hard to make sure that we are providing a fantastic experience that is safe for everyone. Each of our nine attractions has the ‘We’re Good To Go’ industry standard from Visit Britain, which means that we are adhering to Government and public health guidance regarding coronavirus (COVID-19). We are actively promoting wearing face coverings in our buildings, unless an exemption applies, and have regular hand sanitizer points in place for visitors to use.
(Leeds Industrial Museum)
When visiting our museums and galleries, visitors will notice a few other changes including different routes and signage to provide additional guidance. We are prioritising visitor and staff safety so some areas or galleries are not currently accessible during our phased reopening, but we are working hard behind the scenes to reopen as much as possible.
We’re thrilled that our shops and cafes are open with the necessary measures in place to provide a safe and relaxing experience. This means that we are operating a reduced menu and fewer tables will be available so we recommend avoiding peak times if you prefer a quieter spot of lunch or enjoy browsing the gift shop. Our toilets are also open with social distancing measures and regular cleaning taking place to protect everyone. We do close the facilities when cleaning to make sure that they are sanitary and we appreciate everyone’s patience when queuing.
(Lotherton Hall)
There is plenty to see across our range of attractions; from outstanding British art at Leeds Art Gallery to extinct species at Leeds City Museum. You can spot red deer in the park at Lotherton and see hidden treasures inside our Tudor-Jacobean mansion, Temple Newsam. Just outside of the city centre, visitors can explore the recreated Victorian streets of Abbey House Museum and be awed by the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey. The recently opened Leeds to Innovation exhibition at Leeds Industrial Museum is ready to explore again, along with extensive galleries of original mill equipment and the recently refurbished Powerhouse Gallery. Down past Leeds Dock is the incredible Leeds Discovery Centre where the majority of our 1.3 million objects are safely stored and a short walk down the canal brings you to the tucked-away island of Thwaite Watermill.
We are very much looking forward to seeing people in our buildings once again but know that not everyone will feel confident or be able to do so just yet. Our website has a dedicated page to explain how we are managing our reopening process and our attractions pages have more detailed information which we recommend checking before visiting. We’re also keeping our Virtual Visit pages live and uploading new videos regularly on social media to provide everyone with the opportunity to experience Leeds Museums & Galleries wherever you are.
(Thwaite Watermill)
OPENING INFORMATION:
Abbey House Museum
Weds – Fri and Sun: 10am – 12pm & 1 – 4pm
Sat: 12 – 4pm
Leeds Art Gallery
Tues – Sat: 10am – 4pm
Leeds City Museum
Tues – Fri: 12 – 6pm
Sat & Sun: 12 – 5pm
Leeds Discovery Centre
Visit by appointment only
Bookable store tours due to resume in autumn
Leeds Industrial Museum
Tues – Fri: 10am – 5pm
Sat & Sun: 1 – 5pm
Kirkstall Abbey
Tues – Sun: 10am – 4pm
Lotherton
10am – 5pm daily
Temple Newsam
House: Tues – Sun, 11am – 4pm
Farm: 10am – 5pm daily
Thwaite Watermill
Tues – Fri (during school holidays only): 10am – 4.30pm
Sat & Sun: 12 – 4pm