Collections
Kirklees Museums and Galleries service cares for a large and varied collection or artefacts, historical treasures and curiosities which have deployed over more than 100 years of collecting.
You can see some of these amazing artefacts on display in Tolson Museum, Bagshaw Museum, Oakwell Hall and Huddersfield Art Gallery. We also have displays in other local buildings, including Huddersfield Train Station and Dewsbury Town Hall.
Collection highlights
The collections in Kirklees have developed from many different institutions. The first museums in the area reflected the local towns' proud ambitions, collecting world-wide to build up collections of great aesthetic value, academic research potential and popular interest that cover both the natural world and human endeavours. We continue to collect material that helps us to tell stories of the public and personal lives of the people within the area now covered by the Kirklees boundary.
Some of the most important and popular collections include:
The pioneering company that began as photographers, dominated the magic lantern market before moving into saucy seaside postcards. Kirklees owns the largest and most extensive collection of original Bamforth material.
The towns of Dewsbury and Batley were sponsors of various excavations to Egypt in the early 20th Century and Kirklees now has an impressive collection of Egyptian material.
Collaboration with the Contemporary Art Society over many years has helped us develop a small but world class collection of fine art.
The Kirklees area was very active in the development of various natural history societies in the 19th century and we have extensive and important collections including insects, birds and geology.
Our geographical position means the local area has long been an important trade route and stopping off point for travellers. This is most clearly shown by the important collections from Slack Roman fort Outlane, Huddersfield.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the collections, if you would like to donate something or to see something in store please contact us. Please note that out curatorial team is small and all staff are part time. We will try and respond quickly but at busy times it may take a little while for us to get back to you. On occasion, it may be necessary to reduce our full enquiry service to enable our curators to focus on important projects.
Museum collections
The Stables, Ravensknowle Park, Huddersfield, HD5 8DJ
museum.collections@kirklees.gov.uk
01484 221000 (ask for Museums Collections)
Kirklees Museums and Galleries Facebook
For more books and local history you can get in contact with Kirklees Local Study Library.
For enquiries about paper based items, rather than objects, you can get in contact with the West Yorkshire archive service.
Kirklees Museums and Galleries are an Arts Council England Accredited museum service and members of the Museum Association.
