The Folklore Centre, Todmorden

13/04/2026

Picturing The Dead: Spirit Photography c.1860-1940.

Mortality, religion, folklore, art and technology collide in this history of spirit photography...

In this online talk, Dr Helen Frisby, Hon. Secretary of The Folklore Society, explores the curious history of spirit photography; whereby, in a distinctly Victorian technological twist upon much older ghost beliefs, deceased ‘extras’ mysteriously returned to haunt photographs of their loved ones.

The craze for spirit photography peaked in Britain after the 1914-18 Great War, but had been conclusively debunked by 1940. Or had it...?

On one level the story of spirit photography is one of fraud, profiteering, and exploitation; however it also highlights the human capacity for ritual creativity in the face of grief and loss.

Please note that this presentation will include examples of spirit and postmortem photographs.

7pm, Tuesday 21 April, £6 non-members, £4 FLS members (with promo code)

Link in bio

[pic: British Library (Cup.407.a.1)]

11/04/2026

As we tentatively plan for the future and reemerge from hibernation, our library will be open on Fridays from 1st May. Do pop along and say hello! 😁

11/04/2026

Our library will be open on Fridays from 1st May.
10am-4pm
🌱💚🌱

10/04/2026

An educational storyteller friend will be looking to pass on their extensive library later this year, and asked me if I had any ideas who and where might take them. (Our Foilklore Centre library already has most of the ones relevant to our mission)

I promised I'd put out a call for anyone interested, and would collect expressions of interest to pass on to them in due course. So if you may be interested, note that you'd need to collect them (largeish car or van) from West Yorkshire.
Please message me (FB or Messenger), John Billingsley, if interested. And give some details of whether the collection would be private, public, institutional, etc. (not necessarily an issue)
John

31/03/2026

Next Folkdraw session in the library… first one was a resounding success enjoyed by all! 💚

Tickets for the next Folkdraw Club are available now!

The next meet-up is on Friday 17th April, 6-8pm, in the Folklore Centre Library, Todmorden.

Each month we gather in the Folklore Centre’s cosy library to read a short folk tale, explore some of the inspiring illustrated books from the centre’s collection, and create our own illustrations inspired by the story.

This month’s theme: The Barguest

📖 The story will be read at the beginning of the session and copies will be available for reference.

🎨 Drawing materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own favourite supplies if you prefer.

🎟 Places are limited, so please book in advance.
£5 per person includes materials, the facilitator’s time, and access to the Folklore Centre’s wonderful library collection.

We want this to be accessible to everyone, so please don’t let cost be a barrier, get in touch if needed.

20/03/2026

Will be well worth attending!

Early findings from The National Folklore Survey for England

The recent revival of popular interest in folklore, from calendar customs to folk horror media, demonstrates that individual and community identities are interwoven with the perceived concept of Englishness, expressed throughout mainstream media, social media platforms and podcasts.

However, diversity of the content and the wider cultural context have yet to be captured or understood within the multiple identities that make up multicultural Englishness today.

The National Folklore Survey aims to capture an accurate snapshot of the folklore of multicultural England, producing new knowledge, insights and understanding of contemporary English folk culture at a time when many individuals and communities in England feel what historian and broadcaster David Olusoga calls ‘a conflicted sense of identity’.

In this online talk, project lead Dr David Clarke, co-lead Dr Diane A. Rodgers, and Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Sophie Parkes-Nield, give an overview of the project and reveal some of its early findings.

7pm, Tuesday 24 March, £6 non-members, £4 FLS members (with promo code)

Link in bio

[pic: National Folklore Survey]