Yorkshire Culture

Theatres | Museums | Art Galleries and Sculpture Parks

Wherever you are; elegant Leeds, captivating York, fun-loving Sheffield, or vibrant Bradford, walking amongst international sculpture in West Bretton or sampling world-class dining across the region, it’s easy to sense the influence of a pioneering spirit.  Literature comes alive; art and architecture hold your gaze; and melas, festivals, music and theatre provide non stop entertainment.

Yorkshire’s talent for cultural entertainment is legendary. Every year for the past 500 years, Beverley’s architectural heritage has provided an atmospheric setting for the renowned Early Music Festival.

The moors still undulate to the language of the revolutionary Brontë Sisters; Bram Stoker’s Dracula pervades Whitby’s sea front and as you stroll through Leeds’, you can still sense Atkinson Grimshaw’s moonlit cityscapes, which hang in the City Art Gallery.

Theatres

Yorkshire has to be the northern capital of world-class performance.  With leading regional theatres and arts organisations, ballet and opera, world-class dance acts and award winning productions you can take your deal and indulge your imagination whilst enjoying performances on one of Yorkshire's legendary stages.

The Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera Houseseats 1,550 at full capacity and Opera North and Northern Ballet Theatre have their residencies here. Whilst the Alhambra Theatre is the jewel in the crown of Bradford and is regarded as the North's premier touring venue and hosts the best in large scale entertainment from ballet and opera to variety and comedy, musicals, drama and, of course, the annual pantomime. The Stephen Joseph Theatre is home to Alan Ayckbourn, the world's most performed living playwright and boasts 2 auditoria: The Round and The McCarthy, which also doubles as a cinema.

Museums

Today’s museums are great fun!  They actually encourage everyone to learn about something new and Yorkshire is lucky to have many of the best examples in the country.  Yorkshire is full of unique, award winning museums that cover a host of eras and subject areas.

Take a Journey through popular photography, visit IMAX - the worlds most powerful giant screen experience, discover the past, present and future of television in Experience TV and watch your favourite TV moments in TV Heaven all at The National Media Museum in Bradford.

Or why not explore the three giant halls for a complete family experience packed full of incredible trains and interactive fun at the National Railway Museum in York all for free?

Award winning Magna, the UK's first science adventure centre is set in the Templeborough steelworks in Rotherham. Explore the elements of earth, air, fire and water through amazing interactive galleries.  Enjoy two spectacular shows: The Big Melt and The Face of Steel.

‘Streetlife’ – Hull Museum of Transport, has some of the finest period displays on railways, horse-drawn carriages, cycles, cars and trams. Animated horses, a simulated carriage ride, costumed figures and smells add to the visual display to complete a breathtaking look at over 200 years of transport history.

So what are you waiting for?  Visit Yorkshire's magnificent museums and learn something new today.

 

Art galleries and Sculpture Parks

Yorkshire's confident and creative spirit is expressed in many ways, not least in the attractive range of art and craft visitor centres, galleries and attractions waiting to be explored. This spirit can be experienced at a fabulous range of venues - cool gallery spaces, intimate arts centres, sculpture parks and cutting-edge crafts centres throughout Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakefield is a centre of international importance for creation, exhibition and appreciation of modern and contemporary sculpture. The magnificent vistas over the valley, lakes and gardens provide a rich environment for the best examples of sculpture by international artists, including Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore.

Explore seventeen exciting sculptures for all the family to enjoy, set beside the river in beautiful woodland at Bolton Abbey.

The Millennium Galleries, Sheffield is an outstanding venue for the visual arts and craft and design. With four individual galleries under one roof, there are all sorts of wonderful things to see.  Enjoy exhibitions from national collections including Tate and V&A Museum. 

Ropewalk Contemporary Art and Craft is where you will find a wide range of contemporary art and craft, including one of the most comprehensive collections of contemporary ceramics in the region.  In addition to three galleries, the building also houses 12 artists' studios, as well as a number of facilities available for use by the general public, including a dark room and a printmaking studio.

New in 2007 was a series of changing exhibitions in the Cabinet Room at Castle Howard, starting with a display of works by William Morris (1834-96), the celebrated founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement. 

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