the leeds library
Leeds
The Leeds Library is the oldest surviving subscription library of its type in
the UK and was founded in 1768. Annual membership from £66. Founded in 1768, The
Leeds Library is a gem of a heritage library and the oldest surviving
subscription library of its kind in the British Isles. We have a fascinating
history. We’re Leeds’s oldest cultural institution—a thriving hub of creativity,
ideas and inspiration and a book lover’s paradise! Amongst our founding members
were eminent doctors, surgeons, clergymen, leading industrialists and
businessmen, alongside members of The Royal Society. Revd Dr Joseph Priestley,
our first secretary and most likely the primary driving force behind the
Library’s creation, was perhaps the most famous of these men. A leading
enlightenment thinker, radical preacher, and Fellow of The Royal Society,
Priestley was celebrated for his experiments concerning electricity and
oxygen—and the invention of carbonated water! In the beginning, the Library
occupied a back room at Joseph Ogle’s bookshop on Kirkgate and he became the
first librarian. When he died in 1774, his daughter, Mary, was appointed
Librarian and remained so for another 37 years until her death in 1813. Over
this period, the Library proved to be so successful that it outgrew this modest
first home and moved further along Kirkgate to the Rotation Office. A few years
later and a move to new premises was required once again to house the
ever-growing collection of books. In 1808, the Library moved to a new
purpose-built home on Commercial Street where we remain to this day. Built by
Thomas Johnson, the town’s leading architect, the grade II* listed building is a
rare surviving example of a Georgian public library.
