JRR Tolkien taught in the Department of English at Leeds University from 1920 to 1925. He was made the first Professor of English Language in 1924.

During his time in Leeds Tolkien produced a revised version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with his colleague EV Gordon, worked on his translation of Beowulf which was not published until 2014 and developed his Lost Tales, the stories of the proto-Silmarillion which he had begun in the trenches of the Great War, besides setting up a curriculum for his departmental students which substantially remains the same to this day.

Sparky Saturdays are open to everyone, our high-quality activitie

Have a go and get stuck in!

Discover the amazing archive collection with exciting hands-on activities led by some brilliant Yorkshire crafters, choose from a range of crafty activities with a festive feel and make something brilliant to take home. Create a collage garland, try festive wool weaving, capture a Christmas moment in your own bauble and craft a tree decoration with a difference!

Enjoy free light refreshments in our indoor picnic space – feel free to bring your own food to keep everyone fueled up!

Free event, no booking required, just drop in.

In our October Photo Social, we'll be looking at applying for the Arts Council Developing Your Creative Practice grant. 

Make It Easy Lab founder, Daniel Wheeler, will be talking about his own grant application and talking you through how to approach applying for the DYCP.

Our photo socials are open to everyone and are absolutely free. This is a friendly event for anyone who wants to share their work or meet other people from the Leeds photography community. These socials are facilitated by Dan Wheeler from our sister lab, Make It Easy.

We encourage people attending the social to bring some of their pictures and bodies of work to share with the group however, don't feel like you HAVE to bring anything, you can just join in and support others. The social is an opportunity to meet new people and enjoy working with your peers. Everyone is welcome.

Come join us for a fun and interactive FREE Portraits Workshop led by Ellie Andrews!

Held at Leeds Drawing Club this free workshop is one of three events forming part of (M)OTHER Exhibition, Ellie's first exhibition at Leeds Drawing Club.

Working with a portrait model seated within the artwork on show, we will look at the proportions of the head and face and how to opbserve and record those using comparative measuring and clear observation. We will also weave in creative expression through looking at other artists approach to portraiture.