Access to collections
The collections of Kirklees Museums and Galleries are held by the service in trust for the general public. It is our policy to enable access to collections and information about collections, whilst ensuring the collections are preserved and kept safe for future generations.
This can be time consuming and from time to time it may be necessary to reduce our full enquiry service to enable our curators to focus on important projects.
Some of our collections can be viewed online:
Kirklees Image Archive
Over 60,000 images covering 170 years of photography in the Kirklees area.
Art UK
The combined collections of art from 3,200 British institutions including Kirklees' complete art and sculpture collection.
West Yorkshire textile heritage
Highlights of the collections relating to textiles and the textile industry from Kirklees, Wakefield, Leeds, Calderdale and Bradford museums.
Minim
Some items from our collection of musical instruments and objects that make noise are included on this site, which houses the largest online collection of historical musical instruments in the UK.
A guide to the Hall
A photographic tour of the Elizabethan manor house showing some of the furniture and other fittings.
Women's Suffrage in Kirklees
In April 2018 we opened a new exhibition at Tolson Museum to celebrate the centenary of (some) women gaining the right to vote in parliamentary elections. We found so much interesting information that we couldn't fit it all into the exhibition. Instead, we've created this website for you to explore with information from newspapers, our collection and biographies of the women involved.
Political history of Kirklees
A volunteer project documenting the role of politics in local communities during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Includes objects from the collection.
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 Huddersfield Library's local studies department.
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.