Please note, Kirkstall Abbey closes at 4 pm.
Abigail Elizabeth
Textiles
Assembly House artist
“I am a multidisciplinary artist, primarily using ethically sourced yarn and textiles to create large-scale sculptures. Keeping my practice second-hand is key to its integrity, rejecting consumption practices in order to have valid commentary on environmental issues and the surrounding narratives. My work takes on elements of blame surrounding the environmental crisis and the weight of performing under a capitalist structure. I like to play with the idea of restful states, how to achieve comfort without any true stopping point.”
Artist’s website and social media links:
Amelia Frances Wood
Sculpture
Assembly House artist
“I graduated from Leeds Arts University, winning the Aon Art Award and being shortlisted for the Kenneth Armitage Sculpture Award. Following on from my first public sculpture in Leeds, ‘Forged in the Muddy Beck’, 2024, I have been nominated for the Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture 2025.”
Artist’s website and social media links:
Beth Waite
Sculpture
Assembly House artist
“I am an artist from County Durham, based in Leeds, working primarily in sculpture, film and performance. My work centres around a personal and larger shared experience of the feminine, its histories and its mysticism, facilitating a connection between the physical and spiritual through feminist structures, ritual, and world-building.”
Artist’s social media links:
GlenTheMaker
Performance / sculpture
Assembly House artist
“I’m a sculptor and performance artist exploring the cyclical, labour-intensive nature of work. Using tools, repetition, and endurance, I reframe mundane tasks as monumental. Through works like ‘Lay/Unlay’ and ‘Would You Like Fries With That?’, I critique hyperconsumption, power, and the systems that shape our relationship with labour and value.”
Artist’s website and social media links:
Activity
Live performance. Approximately 5 to 10 minutes long, repeated several times throughout Saturday and Sunday.
Jacob Talbot
sculpture
Assembly House artist
“I am a multidisciplinary artist, manipulating analogue and digital photography, extending into fine art-based multimedia pieces. My work encompasses a range of photographic genres, exploring both the physical and metaphysical aspects of imagery. Alongside and within my photographic practice, I also utilise the benefits of sculpture, interactive installation, and nature to actualise concepts.”
Artist’s website and social media links:
James Briggs
Sculpture
Assembly House artist
“My sculptures are site-specific, focused on deconstructing and reconstructing spaces to engage viewers with their surroundings. I draw on architectural motifs, abstracting them to evoke emotions tied to time and place. Using colour, line, and mild steel, I invite reflection on the beauty of industrial landscapes and forgotten histories.”
Artist’s social media links:
Kate Jennings
Painting / screenprinting / mix media
Assembly House artist
“As an artist and activist, my interdisciplinary practice combines layered typography, painting, and mark-making, focusing on community engagement and personal expression. Collaborating with diverse communities, I use art as a tool for fostering freedom of expression and creating inclusive spaces. My work reflects my personal journey through loss, where art has become a therapeutic process, helping me manage grief and mental health. I emphasise creation over the final outcome, allowing each piece to reflect my mind’s overlapping ideas. Words and phrases from my surroundings inspire layered compositions, encouraging personal reflection, emotional healing, and deeper connections.”
Artist’s social media links:
Mo Robertson
Sculpture
Assembly House artist
“Through my time in Leeds, my practice has progressed into three-dimensional work complemented by moving image. As an artist, I produce works of a semi-autobiographical nature. My sculptures serve as an entry point for dialogue and reflection. My body of work remains a vessel for personal growth.”
Artist’s social media links:
Phee Jefferies
sculpture
Assembly House artist
“I am a Leeds-based multidisciplinary artist with an interest in the absurd nature of the human condition. My work challenges expectations of what we consider real and draws attention to the absurd beauty in the things around us that otherwise go unnoticed.”
Artist’s website and social media links:
Who are Assembly House?
artist Studios / project space
Assembly House is an artist-led community arts organisation, project space, and artist studios. They are based in a Victorian mill beside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Armley. They provide affordable studio spaces and support for artists who are early in their careers. They are currently home to 65 artists, with professional practices in a range of disciplines. They also develop creative projects, working with the local community. They hold regular events and exhibitions, showcasing a variety of art forms from both established and emerging artists.
Find out more about Assembly House with the links below:
Access Guide
Venue type
Heritage – twelth century Abbey ruins.
Venue description – refectory
Please see the main Kirkstall Abbey access guide for more details.
● The refectory is located on the right-hand side of the cloister (courtyard).
● The cloister area consists of grass with a tarmac path around the edge.
● The refectory area consists of grass, tiles, and cobblestones and has uneven surfaces.
● The image below shows the refectory as viewed from the far end. In the distance, it shows the entrance to the cloister on the left.
Venue description – infirmary
● The infirmary is located through the refectory.
● There is an alternative route via the cloister that avoids steps.
● The infirmary consists of grass and level stone slabs.
● The infirmary is shown below.
● The image below shows the entrance to the infirmary, as viewed from the refectory.
● The image below shows the route from the cloister through the refectory (and warming house). The view is from the entrance as seen above. It is not step-free.
● The image below shows the path through the infirmary towards the refectory. This is the path that you would take from the cloister, and it is step-free.
Dogs
● Both assistance dogs and pet dogs are allowed. Please keep on a lead.
● Dog bowls are available at the front entrance of the visitor centre.
● Dogs are allowed in the café. Pet dogs are not allowed in the Rose Room.
● There are bins available for disposing of poo bags.
Toilets
● Toilets are located in the visitor centre.
● Separate male and female toilets.
● Gender inclusive accessible toilet.
● Facilities in the accessible toilets include handrails on both sides of the toilet, an emergency alarm, and a fire alarm with a flashing light. There is room for a wheelchair to manoeuvre and assistance. This toilet is not RADAR key operated.
● Baby changing facilities are available in the accessible toilet in the visitor centre. Kirkstall Abbey is a breastfeeding friendly space.
Refreshments
● There is a café in the visitor centre.
● Sandwiches, cakes and bakes, hot food, and ice cream.
● Hot and cold drinks, milk alternatives available.
● High chairs are available.
● Counter service – but table service can be requested.
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