Abbey House Museum facts for kids
Abbey House Museum is a cool museum located in Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It's special because it's built inside the old gatehouse of the amazing 12th-century Kirkstall Abbey, which is now a ruin. This building is very old and important, listed as a Grade II* building. You can find the museum about 3 miles north-west of Leeds city centre, right on the A65 road. It's part of the Leeds Museums & Galleries group, which looks after many interesting places.
Contents
Discovering the Past
A Journey Through Time
The Abbey House Museum first opened its doors in July 1927. The ground floor of the museum is designed to look like real Victorian streets. These streets show what shops and services were like a long time ago. You can see original shop fittings and displays from that period. The first street, Abbey Fold, opened in July 1954. Later, Harewood Square opened in 1955, and Stephen Harding Gate in 1958. The museum was updated and improved between 1998 and 2001. This big project was paid for by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Exploring the Galleries
Upstairs, the museum has different galleries to explore. These areas show off collections about childhood, with old toys and games. There are also special displays put together by the local community. The museum often hosts new, temporary exhibitions too, so there's always something different to see.
Unexplained Events
The TV show Most Haunted visited the Abbey House Museum in 2017. During their visit, the crew reported some unusual things happening. These included sounds of knocking and a piano that seemed to play by itself.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Leeds
- Listed buildings in Leeds (Kirkstall Ward)
- Violet Crowther
- Emily Wardman
