Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery opens today
A rich collection of rare manuscripts and books will form a special public display of treasures in the new gallery.
The John Brotherton-Ratcliffe Room in the Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery.
The Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery, situated beneath the iconic Parkinson tower, will take visitors on a journey through the University’s renowned Special Collections.
Artefacts include a 4,500-year-old Babylonian clay tablet, William Shakespeare’s 1623 First Folio, a draft manuscript in the hand of a 14-year-old Felix Mendelssohn and a map and compass used by Bertie Ratcliffe, the first prisoner to escape back to Britain from Germany during the First World War.
Marketing & Galleries Officer Laura Beare gets hands on with the interactive elements in the new Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery.
Vice-Chancellor Sir Alan Langlands said: “It gives us great pleasure to open up these wonderful treasures to new audiences. We hope that residents of the City of Leeds and far beyond will join us on campus to explore centuries of history represented across an amazing range of objects.
“We greatly appreciate the strong support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and the generosity of the Brotherton-Ratcliffe family in making this possible.”
The Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery opens today between 1-5pm, and will remain open 10am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday and 1-5pm on Mondays. Admission is free. It is closed on Sundays and University holidays (see the library website for full details).
See more information about the treasures.
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