Leeds Corn Exchange is set to mark 150 years of trading with ‘A Grand Weekend’ of fun and delights on 27th and 28th July. The two day extravaganza, which will pay homage to the centre’s Victorian heritage, will include a food market, Gin Palace and pop-up Victorian museum, set against the magnificent backdrop of the historic building.
Visitors will be greeted by a foodie feast at a traditional food market, in association with Northern StrEats, located on the ground floor. Inside the stunning Grade 1* listed building, an ‘Emporium of optical novelty’, by photographer and film-maker Simon Warner, will allow visitors to examine a variety of Victorian optical toys including stereo cards, a kaleidoscope, zoetrope, flickbook and camera obscura, and to make projected hand shadows. Over the weekend there will be a series of magic lantern shows and workshops, where participants can make and project their own lantern slides, a silhouette portrait workshop where people can create their own profile miniature to take home, and a talk on Victorian optical inventions.
A pop-up Victorian museum, run by Artemis, the Leeds Artefact and Art Loan Service, will offer visitors a rare chance to see, outside a museum, its collection of exquisite Victorian taxidermy. In addition, a new exhibition entitled ‘Translated State: The essence of an industry’, created by Fine Line Arts, a collection of ten contemporary artists who are all recent graduates of Leeds College of Art, will display a variety of works including poetry, sculpture, textiles and art installations, inspired by Leeds Corn Exchange’s past and present as a nucleus for trade.
Those with a taste for mother’s ruin can try a tipple from a quirky Gin Palace in association with Northern StrEats and Leeds-based artist duo, Lord Whitney, who will also create a specially commissioned traditional wooden ‘peep-thru’ for visitors to poke their heads through, or dress up in period props and fancy dress, creating their own fun photo opportunity.
On Sunday, baking enthusiasts are invited to enter their own speciality Victoria Sponge in a cake competition, judged by Lynn Hill, founder of the Clandestine Cake Club. Entrants must bring their cakes along ready for judging at 2pm on Sunday 28 July to stand a chance of winning a £50 voucher to spend at Primo’s Gourmet Hot Dogs at Leeds Corn Exchange.
The centre, which opened for business on 28th July 1863 and continued to operate as a Corn Exchange up until the early 1990s, now houses young and established boutiques, designer-makers, beauty parlours, jewellers and cafes. Over ‘A Grand Weekend’ visitors to the centre can enjoy the mix of independent shops and eateries.
A Grand Weekend at Leeds Corn Exchange takes place Saturday 27th July between 10:00am and 6:00pm and on Sunday 28th July between 10.30am and 4.30pm.
For more information on ‘A Grand Weekend’ visit www.leedscornexchange.co.uk, like us on Facebook: /LeedsCornExchange or follow us on Twitter: @Leedscornex #agrandweekend