David Hopes

Head of Leeds Museums & Galleries, trustee of Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, and Leeds Art Fund
@hopesdavid.bsky.social

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

Lots of local interest in plans to reimagine Abbey House Museum, including a partnership with Kirkstall Brewery. The world's first brewseum?! The meeting took place in the abbey gatehouse, the historic focal point for an exciting new future

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

A wonderful evening at Leeds Art Gallery in the company of Steve McQueen and his superb new show, Resistance. Tracing how ordinary people change the world, it's a timely reminder of the role that museums play in asking what kind of world we want to live in

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

Opening tomorrow: Steve McQueen: Resistance | Leeds Museums and Galleries | Days out and exhibitions https://t.co/aLGi7bvm8h

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

#Birmingham a fitting host city for a cautiously optimistic, community-focused #Museums2026 conference

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

@thefatporcupine @Heidi_Labour @andyburnham @CrossCountryUK It was an elderly lady 🤷‍♀️

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

This is the reality of train travel between two of England's most populous cities. Paid £69 for a single between Leeds and Birmingham and I'm standing all the way (despite having a seat reservation) @Heidi_Labour @andyburnham @CrossCountryUK

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

Really sad to hear this news. The only time I saw him in the flesh was at a lunchtime Q&A at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust HQ. It was a spellbinding hour during which @stanley_wells asked only 3 questions! RIP Sir Patrick

[Patrick Stewart @SirPatStew]

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund   
https://t.co/luC5CdcWDy
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources    
https://t.co/zvNptfyuNd

Photo Credit: Tommy Garcia

[Ian McKellen @IanMcKellen]

SIR PATRICK STEWART (1940-2026)

Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.

We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions. My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in 'Star Trek'. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”. Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theatre audiences, who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes ('X-Men' of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.

America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin. But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.

His farewell performance in 'Avengers: Doomsday' is yet to be seen.

Ian McKellen 29 October 2026

Photo: University of Huddersfield

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

Wonderful day in #Ayutthaya exploring Buddhist temples and the oldest Catholic church in Thailand. Oh, and some crafty elephants with a nose for banknotes

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

@herlittlelux One thing I thought linked the two museums is adaptation. I asked a local in MoS what thainess is to him and he said the ability to adapt, much like Thompson adapted trad buildings to form something new

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

Buzzing in Bangkok after visiting two truly innovative museums. The Museum of Siam explores 'Thainess' in a playful, inclusive way which packs a punch with locals and visitors. Jim Thompson's House is gorgeous, intriguing, enterprising. It's been a good museum day 🤗 #Bangkok

[Bernard Donoghue @bernarddonoghue]

I’ve been having meetings this week - and over the last few months - with @hmtreasury @DCMS @mhclg on @alva_uk asks for the Budget on behalf the attractions sector, broader arts, culture, heritage and nature sectors and members, and #UKtourism.
Our asks include: •re-introduce tax free-shopping for overseas visitors as a matter of urgency as we are losing £millions to near European neighbours
•encourage local authorities and Metro Mayors to ring-fence the monies raised from the overnight visitor levy for investment in culture, heritage and tourism
•make the 10% VAT cut for visitor attractions implemented this Summer permanent, and extend it to hospitality. The last-minute Summer cut had very few beneficial effects for ALVA member customers, created lots of hassle and cost for attractions, put charities at a competitive disadvantage, and did not actually seem to prompt visits but a permanent cut would transform our sectors
•abolish VAT on heritage repairs
•take a root and branch review of business rates
•create a Cultural Recovery Fund-style injection of cash for local authority museums, galleries, heritage sites and green spaces to protect them from further cuts and to build their financial sustainability
•encourage DCMS to make the Arts Council England settlement for the next NPO round reflective of the fact that the current settlement has been to continue years of stand-still cash and so, in real terms, has been a significant cut to recipients as it has not taken account of inflation.

We wait with hope.

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

Horribly overcrowded but magnificent nonetheless. Wishing it could be a little more #forbidden in the future #forbiddencity #Beijing

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

What a day! 🚅 🧱 🇨🇳 #GreatWallofChina #Beijing

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

Every conference should include a mandatory visit to a craft brewery, sauna followed by a river dip, and karaoke (with air guitar) in a converted barn. Only in #Oulu #culturenext2026 #culturalclimatechange

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

Stunning start to #culturenext2026 in the European Capital of Culture #Oulu with an opening reception in city hall and jazz concert in a beacon of modernism and 'cultural climate change', Aalto Siilo

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

First visit to the beautifully restored and reimagined Salford Cathedral

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

https://t.co/i40rf51cLI

[David Hopes @HopesDavid]

Architecture at its sexiest #Bullring #Birmingham #futuresystems #selfridges #blobitecture

[yourayrshire360 @yourayrshire360]

Now in the Dick Institute's Main Gallery curated by Damian Barr

Open 7 days and FREE Entry