Wakefield

This article is about the city in England. For other uses, seeWakefield (disambiguation).

Wakefield
City
Wakefield skyline, the Bull Ring square,Town Hall,Cathedral,andPugneys Country Park(with the town hall and cathedral spire visible)
Coat of arms
Wakefield Location withinWest Yorkshire
Area	11.3 sq mi (29 km2)
Population	109,766 (2021)
•Density	9,714/sq mi (3,751/km2)
OS grid reference	SE335205
•London	160 mi
Metropolitan borough	City of Wakefield
Metropolitan county	West Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Areas of the city	List Agbrigg Alverthorpe Belle Vue Carr Gate Eastmoor Flanshaw Lupset Newmillerdam Outwood Sandal Magna
Post town	WAKEFIELD
Postcode district	WF1-WF4
Dialling code	01924
Police	West Yorkshire
Fire	West Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Wakefield Hemsworth Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford Morley and Outwood

Wakefieldis acathedral cityinWest Yorkshire,England located on theRiver Calder.The city had a population of 109,766 in the2021 census,up from 99,251 in the2011 census.The city is the administrative centre of the widerMetropolitan Borough of Wakefield,which had a 2022 population of 357,729, the26thmost populous district in England. It is part of theWest Yorkshire Built-up Areaand theYorkshire and The Humberregion.

In 1888, it gained city status due to itscathedral.The city has atown halland is home to thecounty hall,which was the former administrative centre of the city'scounty boroughandmetropolitan boroughas well ascounty townfor theWest Riding of Yorkshire.

TheBattle of Wakefieldtook place in theWars of the Roses,and the city was aRoyaliststronghold in theCivil War.Wakefield became an importantmarket townand centre for wool, exploiting its position on the navigable River Calder to become aninland port.In the 18th century, Wakefield traded in corn, coal and textiles.

History

Toponymy

The nameWakefieldmay derive from "Waca's field" – the open land belonging to someone named "Waca" or could have evolved from theOld Englishwordwacu,meaning "a watch or wake", andfeld,an open field in which a wake or festival was held.In theDomesday Bookof 1086, it was writtenWachefeldand also asWachefelt.

Early history

Flintand stone tools and laterbronzeand iron implements have been found at Lee Moor and Lupset in the Wakefield area showing evidence of human activity since prehistoric times.This part of Yorkshire was home to theBrigantesuntil the Roman occupation in AD 43. A Roman road fromPontefractpassing Streethouse, Heath Common, Ossett Street Side, throughKirkleesand on toManchestercrossed theRiver Calderby a ford at Wakefield near the site ofWakefield Bridge.A large group of coin moulds, theLingwell Gate coin moulds,representing Romano-British coin forgery were found at Lingwell Gate between 1697 and 1879.Wakefield was probably occupied again, this time by theAngles,in the 5th or 6th century, and after AD 876 the area was controlled by theVikingswho founded twelve hamlets orthorpesaround Wakefield.They divided the area intowapentakesand Wakefield was part of theWapentake of Agbrigg.The settlement grew near a crossing place on the River Calder around three roads,Westgate,NorthgateandKirkgate.The "gate" suffix derives from Old Norsegatameaning roadand kirk, fromkirkjaindicates there was a church.

Before 1066 themanorof Wakefield belonged toEdward the Confessorand it passed toWilliam the Conquerorafter theBattle of Hastings.After theConquestWakefield was a victim of theHarrying of the Northin 1069 when William the Conqueror took revenge on the local population for resistance to Norman rule. The settlement was recorded asWachfeldin theDomesday Bookof 1086, and covered a much greater area than present day Wakefield, much of which was described as "waste".The manor was granted bythe crowntoWilliam de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surreywhose descendants, the Earls Warenne, inherited it after his death in 1088.The construction ofSandal Castlebegan early in the 12th century.A second castle,Wakefield Castle,was built at Lawe Hill on the north side of the Calder but was abandoned.Wakefield and its environs formed thecaputof an extensive baronial holding by the Warennes that extended toCheshireandLancashire.The Warennes, and theirfeudalsublords, held the area until the 14th century, when it passed to their heirs. Norman tenants holding land in the region included theLyvetfamily at Lupset.

The Domesday Book recorded two churches, one in Wakefield and one inSandal Magna.The Saxon church in Wakefield was rebuilt in about 1100 in stone in theNormanstyle and was continually enlarged until 1315 when the central tower collapsed. By 1420 the church was again rebuilt and was extended between 1458 and 1475.

In 1203William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surreyreceived a grant for a market in the town.In 1204King Johngranted the rights for a fair at the feast ofAll Saints,1 November, and in 1258Henry IIIgranted the right for fair on the feast of Saint John the Baptist, 24 June. The market was close to the Bull Ring and the church.The townsfolk of Wakefield amused themselves in games and sports, the chief sport in the 14th century wasarcheryand thebuttsin Wakefield were at theIngs,near the river.Wakefield was dubbed the "Merrie City" in theMiddle Ages.

Memorial to theDuke of York,killed in battle, 1460

During theWars of the Roses,Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Yorkwas killed on 30 December 1460 in theBattle of Wakefieldnear Sandal Castle. Inmedievaltimes Wakefield became an inland port on the Calder and centre for the woollen andtanningtrades. In 1538John Lelanddescribed Wakefield as, "a very quick market-towne and meately large; well served of flesch and fisch, both from the se and by rivers, whereof divers be thereabout at hande, so that al vitaile is very gode chepe there. A right honest man shal fare well for two pens a meale". As preparation for the impending invasion by theSpanish Armadain April 1588, 400 men from the wapentake of Morley and Agbrigg were summoned to Bruntcliffe nearMorleywith their weapons. Men from Kirkgate, Westgate, Northgate and Sandal were amongst them and all returned by August.

At the time of the Civil War, Wakefield was aRoyaliststronghold. An attack led by SirThomas Fairfaxon 20 May 1643 captured the town for theParliamentarians.Over 1500 troops were taken prisoner along with the Royalist commander,Lieutenant-General Goring.

In 1699 an Act of Parliament was passed creating theAire and Calder Navigationwhich provided the town with access to theNorth Sea.The first Registry of Deeds in the country opened in 1704 and in 1765 Wakefield's cattle market was established and became the one of largest in the north of England. The town was a centre for cloth dealing, with its own piece hall, the Tammy Hall, built in 1766.In the late 1700sGeorgiantown houses and St John's Church were built to the north of the town centre.

Industrial Revolution

Wakefield Westgatec. 1900

At the start of the 19th century Wakefield was a wealthy market town and inland port trading in wool and grain.TheAire and CalderandCalder and Hebble Navigationsand theBarnsley Canalwere instrumental in the development of Wakefield as an important market for grain and more was sold here than at any other market in the north. Large warehouses were built on the river banks to store grain fromNorfolk,CambridgeshireandLincolnshireto supply the fast-growing population in theWest Riding of Yorkshire.Great quantities of barley were grown in the neighbourhood and in 1885 moremaltwas made in Wakefield "than in any district of equal extent in the kingdom".The market developed in the streets around the Bull Ring, and the cattle market between George Street and Ings Road grew to be one of the biggest in the country.Road transport usingturnpikedroads was important. Regularmail coachesdeparted toLeeds,London,Manchester,YorkandSheffieldand the 'Strafford Arms' was an importantcoaching inn.The railways arrived in Wakefield in 1840 whenKirkgate stationwas built on theManchester and Leeds Railway.

When cloth dealing declined, wool spinning mills using steam power were built by the river. There was a glass works in Calder Vale Road, severalbreweriesincluding Melbourne's and Beverley's Eagle Breweries, engineering works with strong links to the mining industry, soapworks and brickyards in Eastmoor, giving the town a diverse economy.Boats andsloopswere built at yards on the Calder.On the outskirts of the town, coal had been dug since the 15th century and 300 men were employed in the town's coal pits in 1831.During the 19th century more mines were sunk so that there were 46 small mines in Wakefield and the surrounding area by 1869.TheNational Coal Boardeventually became Wakefield's largest employer with Manor Colliery on Cross Lane and Park Hill colliery at Eastmoor surviving until 1982.Wakefield was also the site of the founding of theMiners' Association of Great Britain and Ireland,the country's first national trade union for miners, in 1842.

During the 19th century Wakefield became the administrative centre for theWest Riding,when many familiar buildings were constructed.The first civic building in Wood Street,Wakefield Court House,was built in 1810.TheWest Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylumwas built at Stanley Royd, just outside the town on Aberford Road in 1816. During the 19th century, the Wakefield Asylum played a central role in the development of British psychiatry, withHenry MaudsleyandJames Crichton-Browneamongst its medical staff. Most of it is now demolished. The old House of Correction of 1595 was rebuilt asWakefield Prisonin 1847.Wakefield Union workhousewas built on Park Lodge Lane, Eastmoor in 1853 and Clayton Hospital was built in 1854 after a donation from Alderman Thomas Clayton.Wakefield Mechanics' Institutecontaining an Assembly Room, public library and newsroom supported by subscription was built in Wood Street in 1820–1821 in theClassical stylewithIonicdetails. Wakefield Literary Society ran there from 1827 until the 20th century and its Geological Society left artefacts to Wakefield Museum.

Up to 1837 Wakefield relied on wells and springs for its water supply; water from the River Calder was polluted, and various water supply schemes were unsuccessful untilreservoirson the Rishworth Moors and a service reservoir at Ardsley were built providing clean water from 1888. By 1885 the streets of the town were paved and flagged and lit with gas supplied by a company incorporated in 1822.Between 1870 and 1885 they made improvements on the north side of town around St John's Church now aconservation area.

20th century

On 2 June 1906,Andrew Carnegieopened a new Wakefield Library on Drury Lane which had been built with a grant of £8,000 from the Carnegie Trust.

There are sevenex-council estatesin Wakefield which the council started to build after theFirst World War,the oldest is Portobello, the largest is Lupset and the rest areFlanshaw,Plumpton, Peacock, Eastmoor andKettlethorpe.Homes not bought by occupants under theRight to Buyscheme were transferred to a registered social landlord, Wakefield and District Housing (WDH) in 2005.The outlying villages ofSandal Magna,Belle VueandAgbrigghave become suburbs of Wakefield.

The glass and textile industries closed in the 1970s and 1980s, and coal faced competition from alternative sources and demand decreased. The coal mines around Wakefield were amongst the first in Yorkshire to close under the government ofMargaret Thatcher,which altered the national energy policy from a reliance on British coal and opposed the political power of theNUM.Between 1979 and 1983, the pits at Lofthouse, Manor, Newmarket, Newmillerdam, Parkhill and Walton all closed.As the Wakefield pits closed, theSelby Coalfieldwas being opened, many colliers in Wakefield accepted offers to transfer to the new pits which were built to facilitate commuting.

An April 2021 article inThe Guardiandiscussed nearby Heath (or Heath Common), the "village of the [200 year old] mansions", located "around the edge of the green". These housed the wealthy merchants and business owners.The local newspaper published specifics about one of the mansions in March 2021: Dower House was builtc. 1740;it was constructed for John Smyth byJohn Carr,of Yorkshire stone, and "retains many original features". It was intended to house widows.The Dower House is a Grade II*listed property; it was modified in the early 1800s.

The nearbyHeath Hall, Heath,West Yorkshire, formerly known as Eshald House, was also builtc. 1709for the wealthy wool trader, John Smyth. The Hall was modified by John Carr between 1754 and 1780 for the original owner's nephew (also known as John Smyth). The Hall is a Grade I listed building.

Governance

Wakefield Town Hall

Wakefield was anciently a market and parish town in the Agbrigg division of thewapentakeofAgbrigg and Morleyin theWest Riding of Yorkshire.It became a parliamentary borough with one Member of Parliament after theReform Act 1832.In 1836 the WakefieldPoor Law Unionwas formed following thePoor Law Amendment Act1834 with an elected board of guardians.The town was incorporated as amunicipal boroughwith elected councillors in 1848 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835.

Wakefield was thede factoseat of regional government in Yorkshire for two centuries and became the county headquarters of the West Riding County Council created by theLocal Government Act 1888.After Wakefield was elevated to a diocese in 1888, Wakefield council sought city status which was granted the same year.Wakefield became acounty boroughin 1913.In 1974, under the terms of theLocal Government Act 1972,the county borough became defunct as it merged with surrounding local authorities to become theCity of Wakefielddistrict.

Today the city is the headquarters ofWakefield Metropolitan District Council,Yorkshire Ambulance ServiceandWest Yorkshire Police.Since 1987, the district council has been based inCounty Hall.

Wakefield is covered by four electoral wards (Wakefield East, Wakefield North, Wakefield South and Wakefield West) of the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council. Each ward elects three councillors to the 63-member metropolitan district council, Wakefield's local authority. In 2015 all the councillors elected for Wakefield East, North and West were members of theLabour Partyand the councillors for Wakefield South represent theConservative Party.

The parliamentary seat ofWakefieldhad been held by the Labour Party continuously from 1932 until the2019 general election,when the Conservative Party'sImran Ahmad Khandefeated the incumbentMary Creagh.The Conservative Party expelled Khan from the party on 11 April 2022, following a conviction of sexual assault.He announced three days after his conviction that he would be resigning as an MP, and left his post on 3 May, triggering the2022 Wakefield by-election,which was held on 23 June and won by Labour'sSimon Lightwood.

The Wakefield South ward covering Sandal, Kettlethorpe, Agbrigg and Belle Vue, is in theHemsworth constituency,represented by the Labour party'sJon Trickettsince 1996. He was re-elected in May 2010,and returned in 2015 with 51.3% of the vote.The seat has been held by the Labour Party since its creation in 1918.

Geography

River Calder

Wakefield is 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Leeds and 28 miles (45 km) south-west of York on the eastern edge of thePenninesin the lower Calder Valley. The city centre is sited on a low hill on the north bank of theRiver Calderclose to a crossing place where it is spanned by the 14th-century, nine-arched, stoneChantry Bridgeand a reinforced concrete bridge built in 1929–1930.It is at the junction of major north–south routes to Sheffield, Leeds and Doncaster and west–east routes to Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Pontefract.

Wakefield is within the area of the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire & Yorkshire coalfield and lies on the middlecoal measuresandsandstoneslaid down in theCarboniferousperiod.

Wakefield includes the former outlying villages ofAlverthorpe,Thornes, Sandal, Portobello, Belle Vue, Agbrigg, Lupset, Kettlethorpe and Flanshaw. In the 2011 Census, Newton Hill, Outwood, Stanley and Wrenthorpe were counted as parts of Wakefield, having been classified separately in the 2001 Census.

Climate data for Wakefield
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	7 (44)	7 (44)	9 (49)	12 (53)	16 (60)	18 (65)	21 (69)	21 (69)	17 (63)	13 (56)	9 (49)	7 (45)	13 (56)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	2 (36)	2 (36)	3 (37)	4 (39)	7 (45)	10 (50)	12 (54)	12 (54)	10 (50)	7 (45)	4 (39)	3 (37)	6 (44)
Averageprecipitationmm (inches)	87 (3.41)	64 (2.50)	68 (2.67)	62 (2.46)	56 (2.19)	67 (2.63)	51 (2.01)	64 (2.50)	64 (2.53)	74 (2.91)	78 (3.06)	92 (3.62)	827 (32.49)
Source:

Demography

Wakefield Compared in 2008
2008 UK Population Estimates	Wakefield	Yorkshire and the Humber	England
Total population	322,300	5,213,200	51,446,200
White	95.7%	90.6%	88.2%
Asian	2.4%	5.7%	5.7%
Black	0.5%	1.3%	2.8%

Gill Sike House, Horbury Road

Terraced housing on Silcoates Street

In 2001 the Wakefield subdivision of theWest Yorkshire Urban Areahad a population of 76,886comprising 37,477 males and 39,409 females. Also at the time of the2001 UK census,theCity of Wakefieldhad a total population of 315,172 of whom 161,962 were female and 153,210 were male. Of the 132,212 households in Wakefield, 39.56% were married couples living together, 28.32% were one-person households, 9.38% werecohabitingcouples and 9.71% were lone parents. The figures for lone-parent households were slightly above the national average of 9.5%, and the percentage of married couples was above the national average of 36.5%; the proportion of one-person households was below the national average of 30.1%.

The population density was 9.31/km²(24.1/sq mi). Of those aged 16–74 in Wakefield, 39.14% had noacademic qualifications,much higher than 28.9% in all of England. Of Wakefield's residents, 2.53% were born outside the United Kingdom, significantly lower than the national average of 9.2%. The largest minority group was recorded as Asian, at 1.41% of the population.

The number of theft-from-a-vehicle offences and theft of a vehicle per 1,000 of the population was 7.9 and 3.9 compared to the English national average of 6.3 and 2.3 respectively.The number of sexual offences was 0.9, in line with the national average.The national average of violence against another person was 16.7 compared to the Wakefield average of 15.The figures for crime statistics were all recorded during the 2008–09 financial year.

Population change

Wakefield had a population of 76,886 in 2001.At the 2011 Census, the population was given as 99,251.However, these two estimates are not directly comparable, as the 2001 Census did not classify the oldStanley Urban Districtas part of Wakefield whereas the 2011 Census classified all settlements in this area exceptBottom Boat(a small village built for Newmarket Colliery workers) as parts of Wakefield.

Population growth in Wakefield from 1881 to 1961
Year	1881	1891	1901	1911	1921	1931	1939	1951	1961
Population	22,173	23,315	24,107	43,588	52,891	59,122	56,963	60,371	61,268
Wakefield RSD 1881 – 1911 Wakefield MB/CB 1921 – 1961

Economy

Wakefield Compared
2001 UK Census	Wakefield	WY Urban Area	England
Population (16–74)	55,789	1,072,276	35,532,091
Full-time employment	39.7%	39.5%	40.8%
Part-time employment	12.4%	12.1%	11.8%
Self employed	6.7%	6.3%	8.3%
Unemployed	4.1%	3.8%	3.3%
Retired	14.1%	12.8%	13.5%
Source: Office for National Statistics

The economy of Wakefield declined in the last quarter of the 20th century as the coal mines and traditional manufacturing industries closed, contributing to high rates of unemployment. In theIndex of Multiple Deprivation2015, 14.35% of the district's lower super-output areas were in the most deprived 10% of England.

Employment grew by 12% between 1998 and 2003 as the economy recovered and enjoyed growth as the economic base of the district was diversified. Growth has been supported by inward investment from European and United Kingdom government funding which has impacted on the regeneration of the area. Manufacturing remains an important employment sector although the decline is projected to continue whilst distribution and the service industries are now among the main employers.

At the 2001 census, there were 33,521 people in employment who were resident within Wakefield. Of these, 20.74% worked in the wholesale and retail trade, including repair of motor vehicles; 14.42% worked within manufacturing industry; 11% worked within the health and social work sector and 6.49% were employed in the transport, storage and communication industries.Wakefield is a member of theLeeds City Region Partnership,a sub-regional economic development partnership covering an area of the historic county of Yorkshire.

Regeneration

Trinity Walk shopping centre

Regeneration projects in Wakefield included theTrinity Walkretail development to the north east of the city centre, including a department store, a supermarket and shop units.Work began in autumn 2007 but was halted in 2009, restarted in 2010 and opened in 2011.The central square at the Bull Ring has been redesigned with a water feature and theRidings Shopping Centrerefurbished.Wakefield Westgate Stationgoods yard and land on Westgate and Balne Lane have been developed to create retail, residential and commercial space including new offices, a multi-storey carpark serving the station, and a hotel.

A new market hall opened in 2008, but closed in 2018.In 2023, conversion began of it intoWakefield Exchange,an events space.

Developments by the river and canal, the "Wakefield Waterfront", include the refurbishment of the Grade II listed Navigation Warehouse and office, retail, restaurant and cafe units. The development includes the art gallery,The Hepworth Wakefieldnamed in honour of local sculptor,Barbara Hepworthwhich opened in May 2011. The gallery has ten internal spaces, exhibiting many examples of Hepworth's work. The gallery added about £10 million to the local economy by attracting 500,000 visitors in its first year.Flats and offices were built at Chantry Waters, on an island between the river and canal.

Landmarks

Chantry Bridge over theRiver Calder

The most prominent landmark in Wakefield isWakefield Cathedral,which at 247 feet (75 m) has the tallest spire in Yorkshire.Other landmarks in the Civic Quarter on Wood Street include the Grade II*NeoclassicalCrown Court of 1810,Wakefield Town Halldesigned by T.E. Collcutt and opened in 1880,and theCounty Hallof 1898 built in aQueen Anne Stylewhich are Grade I listed.St John's Churchand Square, St John's North and South Parade are part of residential development dating from the Georgian period.

The old Wakefield Bridge with itsChantry Chapel,Sandal Castle, and Lawe Hill in Clarence Park areancient monuments. Another prominent structure is the 95-arch railway viaduct, constructed of 800,000,000 bricks in the 1860s on the Doncaster to Leeds railway line. At its northern end is a bridge with an 80-foot (24 m) span over Westgate and at its southern end a 163-foot (50 m) iron bridge crossing the River Calder.

The Ridings Centre,opened in 1983, was a UK first and served as a template for many shopping centres throughout the UK.

Clayton Hospital,a substantialVictorianedifice completed in 1880, closed in 2012 and has since been demolished.

Transport

The brick-built 95-arch viaduct in Wakefield

Wakefield Kirkgate railway station

Wakefield has good access to the motorway system, with the intersection of theM1andM62motorways, junctions 42/29, lying to the north west, whilst the M1 to the west is accessed at junctions 39, 40 and 41. TheA1(M)is to the east of the district. Wakefield is crossed by theA61,A638,andA642roads and is the starting point of theA636andA650roads.

The council is working withWest Yorkshire Metro,the other four West Yorkshire district councils and transport operators to provide an integrated transport system for the district through the implementation of the West YorkshireLocal Transport Plan. A network of local buses, coordinated by West Yorkshire Metro and departing fromWakefield bus stationin the town centre, serves Wakefield and district. Buses are operated byArriva Yorkshire,Watersons Coaches, Poppletons,Team Pennine,Stagecoach YorkshireandNational Express.

Wakefield Westgate stationopened in 1867 on theDoncasterto Leeds line. It has connections to the East Coast Main Line,trains to Leeds, Doncaster, and stations towardsLondon King's Cross.CrossCountrytrains go toNewcastle,Edinburgh,Birminghamand theSouth West.East Midlands Railwayalso run a limited service via Sheffield,DerbyandLeicestertoLondon St Pancras.Wakefield Westgate is on theWakefield Lineof theWest Yorkshire Metronetwork.The line waselectrifiedin 1989. Wakefield is served by inter-city express trains from both its railway stations. London can be reached in less than two hours.

Wakefield Kirkgate railway stationwas opened by theManchester and Leeds Railwayin 1840. Wakefield Kirkgate is unstaffed and operated byNorthernwho operate trains toBarnsley,Meadowhall Interchange,Sheffield,Normanton,Pontefract,Knottingley,Leeds,CastlefordandNottingham.The station serves theHallam Line,Huddersfield Lineand thePontefract Lineof the MetroTrain network.Grand Centraloperating betweenLondon King's CrossandBradford Interchangestop at Kirkgate. In 2009CCTVwas installed at the station, but it had acquired a reputation for being one of the country's worst stations.It has, however, undergone extensive renovation (2014–).

The nearest airport isLeeds Bradford Airport,19 miles (31 km) to the north of the city atYeadon.

TheAire and Calder Navigationis 33 miles (53 km) from Leeds toGoole,and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) from Wakefield to Castleford, and was created by Act of Parliament in 1699. It was opened to Leeds in 1704 and to Wakefield in 1706, enabling craft carrying 100 tons to reach Wakefield from the Humber.It is still used by a small amount of commercial traffic and leisure craft. The Calder and Hebble Navigation was created by Act of Parliament in 1758 with the intention of making the Calder navigable toSowerby Bridge.The route was originally surveyed byJohn Smeaton,remains open and is used by leisure craft.The Barnsley Canal, a broad canal with 20 locks, opened in 1799 connecting Barnsley to the Aire and Calder Navigation at Wakefield and was abandoned in 1953.

Education

The original Queen Elizabeth Grammar School on Brook Street

See also:List of schools in Wakefield

Wakefield's oldest surviving school isQueen Elizabeth Grammar School,a boys-only school established in 1591 byQueen Elizabeth Iby Royal Charter. The original building in Brook Street is now theElizabethan Gallery.QEGS moved to Northgate in 1854. The school was administered by the Governors of Wakefield Charities who opened Wakefield Girls High SchoolWGHSon Wentworth Street in 1878.These two schools today areindependent schools.National schoolswere opened by the Church of England including St Mary's in the 1840s and St John's in 1861.The original St Austin's Catholic School opened about 1838.A Methodist School was opened in Thornhill Street in 1846.Pinders Primary School, originally Eastmoor School is the only school opened as a result of the Education Act 1870 which remains open today.

Wakefield Collegehas its origins in the School of Art and Craft of 1868and today is the major provider of6th formandfurther educationin the area, with around 3,000 full-time and 10,000 part-time students,and campuses in the city and surrounding towns. In 2007 Wakefield City Council and Wakefield College announced plans to establish a University Centre of Wakefield but a bid for funding failed in 2009.Other schools with sixth forms include: QEGS, Wakefield Girls High School, and Cathedral High School, which is now aPerforming Arts Collegefor ages 11 to 18.

Religion

Wakefield Cathedral

Religion in Wakefield 2001
UK Census 2001	Wakefield	Yorkshire	England
Christian	78.21%	73.07%	71.74%
No religion	11.74%	14.09%	14.59%
Muslim	1.14%	3.81%	3.1%
Buddhist	0.10%	0.14%	0.28%
Hindu	0.20%	0.32%	1.11%
Jewish	0.04%	0.23%	0.52%
Sikh	0.08%	0.38%	0.67%
Other religions	0.18%	0.19%	0.29%
Religion not stated	7.57%	7.77%	7.69%

Wakefield's oldest church is All Saints, nowWakefield Cathedral,a 14th-century parish church built on the site of earlier Saxon and Norman churches, restored by SirGeorge Gilbert Scottin the 19th century, and raised to cathedral status in 1888. The firstBishop of WakefieldwasWilliam Walsham How. In 1356 theChantry Chapel of St Mary the Virginon Wakefield bridge was built originally in wood, and later in stone. This chapel is one of four chantry chapels built around Wakefield and the oldest and most ornate of the four surviving in England. Wakefield is also known for theWakefield Cycle,a collection of 32mystery plays,dating from the 14th century, which were performed as part of the summertime religious festival ofCorpus Christiand revived in recent times.

St John's Churchwas built in 1795 in theGeorgianstyle. Three new AnglicanCommissioners' churches,partly financed by the "Million Fund" were built as chapels of ease in the surrounding districts and were St Peter at Stanley in 1824, St Paul at Alverthorpe in 1825, and St James at Thornes in 1831.Holy Trinity in George Street was built in 1838–9.St Andrew's Church opened on Peterson Road in 1846 and St Mary's Church on Charles Street was consecrated in 1864. St Michael's was consecrated in 1861.

TheWestgate Unitarian Chapeldates from 1752. In the 19th century Wesleyan, Primitive and Independent Methodist chapels were opened and the Baptists opened a chapel in George Street in 1844.St John the Divinewas built at Calder Grove in 1892.

TheChurch of Englanddioceseof Wakefield covered parishes mainly in West Yorkshire, parts of South Yorkshire and five parishes in North Yorkshire.It was dissolved on Easter Sunday 2014.Stephen Plattenwas the 12th and lastBishop of Wakefield.TheDiocese of Leedsnow covers Wakefield.

Wakefield has two Catholic parishes – in the northSt Martin de Porresincorporates the churches ofSt Austin's,Wentworth Terrace, opened in 1828, and English Martyrs, opened in 1932, on Dewsbury Road, Lupset,and in the south, St Peter and St Paul's off Standbridge Lane which has a modern church built in 1991. Wakefield is in theRoman Catholic Diocese of Leeds.

Agbrigg Muslim Association have a Zakaria Masjid Mosque in Wakefield.

Culture

TheTheatre Royal Wakefieldon Westgate, designed by architectFrank Matcham,opened in 1894 as the Opera House, and currently presents a programme of entertainment including musicals, drama, live music, stand-up comedy and dance.

Theatre Royal

Wakefield's two central libraries moved into the £31 millionWakefield Onein October 2012. The new library was officially opened by singerJarvis Cockeron 10 November 2012.Wakefield Museummoved from the former Mechanics' Institute on Wood Street to Wakefield One at the same time. The museum was officially opened bySir David Attenboroughon 9 March 2013.

Balne Lane library once managed a regional collection of more than 500,000 items of music and 90,000 copies of plays for Yorkshire Libraries & Information (YLI).The Yorkshire Music and Drama Library at Balne Lane closed on 31 March 2012 when the music section moved to Huddersfield and the drama section to Leeds.

The Hepworth Wakefield and the River Calder

In May 2011The Hepworth Wakefieldgallery opened on the south bank of the River Calder near Wakefield Bridge, displaying work by local artists Barbara Hepworth andHenry Mooreand other British and international artists. The gallery is thought to be the largest purpose-built gallery to open in the United Kingdom since 1968.

Wakefield's three adjoining parks have a history dating back to 1893 when Clarence Park opened on land near Lawe Hill. The adjacent Holmefield Estate was acquired in 1919, followed by Thornes House in 1924, becoming Holmefield Park andThornes Parkrespectively. The three parks form Wakefield Park to the south west of the city.Clarence Park Music Festivalis held annually in Clarence Park, promoting local bands.

Wakefield's newspaper, theWakefield Express,was founded in 1852. Another newspaper, theWakefield Guardianwas established in 2007, but has ceased publishing.

Local news and television programmes is provided byBBC YorkshireandITV Yorkshire.Television signals are received from theEmley MoorTV transmitter.

Wakefield's local radio stations areBBC Radio Leeds,Heart Yorkshire,Capital YorkshireandRidings FM,was founded in 1999,and rebranded in September 2020 asGreatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire.

Wakefield is known as the capital of theRhubarb Triangle,an area notable for growing early forcedrhubarb.In July 2005 a sculpture was erected to celebrate this facet of Wakefield, and there is an annual 'Wakefield Festival of Food, Drink and Rhubarb "which takes place over the last weekend in February.

The West Riding Registry of Deeds on Newstead Road is the headquarters of the West Yorkshire Archive Service, housing records from the former West Riding and West Yorkshire counties, and is the record office for the Wakefield Metropolitan District.

In 1913 Albert Winstanley opened the Picture House cinema in Westgate. Shortly after opening it was renamed the Playhouse, and by 1972 it was part of the Classic cinema chain. It is now a nightclub.

In 1935Associated British Cinemas(ABC) opened the Regal Cinema in Kirkgate. TheArt Decobuilding was renamed the ABC in 1962 and became aCannonin 1986.Cineworld's first purpose-built multiplex in Britain opened in Wakefield in December 1996. The ABC closed in 1997 and has remained derelict, but there have been successive proposals to redevelop or demolish it.The ABC cinema was finally and fully demolished in August 2023

The British rock bandThe Beatlesplayed at theABC Cinema Wakefieldon 7 February 1963 as part of the Helen Shapiro Winter Tour. The Cinema may still have been named the Regal at the time. This was their only performance in Wakefield and took place just a few days before the band recorded their first albumPlease Please Me.

Film and television locations

The 1963 filmThis Sporting LifestarringRichard Harris,Rachel Roberts,William HartnellandArthur Lowewas partially filmed in Wakefield, specifically atWakefield TrinityRugby Ground, Belle Vue, the area around the top of Westgate and the demolished "Locarno Night Club" – Southgate, now the Cathedral entrance toRidings Shopping Centre.The film's screenplay was by Wakefield born writerDavid Storey.

The 1996 filmBrassed Off,starringEwan McGregor,was partly filmed atThe National Coal Mining Museumin Wakefield.

The 2018 television mini seriesThe ABC Murders,starringJohn Malkovich,Eamon Farren,Michael ShaefferandRupert Grintwas partly filmed atSt Johns Baptist's Churchand St John's Square.

Sport

Belle Vue Stadium

Wakefield Trinityis aRugby Leagueclub currently playing in the Championship following relegation from the Super League in 2023. The club, founded in 1873, was one of the initial founders of theNorthern Unionafter the split from theRugby Football Unionin 1895. The club plays atBelle Vue stadium.Several local teams play in different leagues of theBritish Amateur Rugby League Association,BARLA. They include Wakefield City, Westgate Wolves, Crigglestone All Blacks, Kettlethorpe and Eastmoor Dragons.

Rugby Union Football is played atSandal RUFCand was played byWakefield RFCatCollege Grovefrom 1901 to 2004 when the club ceased to play.

Wakefield briefly had a football team whenEmley F.C.moved to play at Belle Vue, the ground of Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. After moving ground first to College Grove and then briefly to share withOssett Town,Wakefield FC folded in June 2014.AFC Emleywas founded to restore the club's original links with the village of Emley.

In 2019 a new clubWakefield A.F.C.was formed by a consortium including former professional playerChris Turnerand played in theSheffield & Hallamshire County Senior Football League,in 2021 the club was bought by VO2 capital. Playing at Barnsley andFeatherstone,the club had not played in the City which bears their name until moving to share the rugby ground withWakefield Trinityin 2023

Wakefield Sports Club at College Grove also has the Yorkshire Regional Hockey Academy, Wakefield Bowls Club and Wakefield Squash Club on the same site.

The Wakefield Archers meet at QEGS in Wakefield or at Slazengers Sports Club, Horbury and has archers shooting Olympic re-curve bows, compound bows and longbows. Thornes Park Athletics Stadium is home to Wakefield Harriers A.C. MembersMartyn BernardandEmily Freemancompeted in the Beijing Olympics. Local teams Newton Hill and Wakefield Thornes are members of the Leeds-West Riding Cricket League.

There is a 100-acre (0.40 km²) watersports lake atPugneys Country Parkcatering for non-powered watersports such as canoeing, sailing and windsurfing.Golf clubs include the municipal course at Lupset and the private Wakefield Golf Club at Sandal.

Public services

Wakefield Prison (1916)

Wakefield Prison,originally built as a house of correction in 1594, is a maximum security prison.Wakefield is policed by the West Yorkshire Police force and is within the DA, Wakefield division, which covers the whole district.Wakefield is also the location of the West Yorkshire Police Headquarters. Thestatutory emergency fire and rescue serviceis provided by theWest Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service,from Wakefield fire station.Hospital services are provided by the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and community health services, includingGPs,district and community nurses, dentists and pharmacists, are coordinated by Wakefield DistrictPrimary Care Trust. Waste managementis co-ordinated by thelocal authority.Wakefield'sdistribution network operatorfor electricity isCE Electric.Yorkshire Watermanages Wakefield'sdrinkingandwastewater.

Notable people

See also:List of people from Wakefield

NovelistGeorge Gissingwas born in Wakefield in 1857; his childhood home in Thompson's Yard is maintained by The Gissing Trust.

SculptorBarbara Hepworthwas born in Wakefield in 1903.There is an art gallery called The Hepworth Wakefield named after her which features her work alongside other local artists such asHenry Moore.

DameMarjorie Williamsonwas born in Wakefield in 1913. She was an academic, educator, physicist and university administrator.

David Storeyborn in Wakefield in 1933 was anovelistand playwright who in 1960 wroteThis Sporting Life,which was made into a film in 1963 and shot largely on location in the city.

Former Archbishop of York,David Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes,was born in 1940 in Thornes.

TheLiberal DemocratpoliticianJohn Leechwas born in Wakefield in 1971.He was Member of Parliament from 2005 to 2015.

Jane McDonald,singer, was born in Wakefield in 1963.

Twin cities

See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in the United Kingdom

Wakefield istwinnedwith:

Alfeld (Leine),Germany(since 1958) Castres,France(since 1953) Castrop-Rauxel,Germany(since 1949)

Girona,Spain(since 1990) Hénin-Beaumont,France(since 1972) Herne,Germany(since 1956) Konin,Poland(since 1996)

Wakefield was previously twinned withXiangyang,China (2016 - 2020) andNanning,China (2019 - 2020). Both relations were ended due to human rights concerns relating to thetreatment of Uyghur Muslims.

Wakefield was also previously twinned withBelgorod,Russia (1991 - 2022), but this agreement was ended in response to the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Freedom of the City

The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the Cityof Wakefield.

Individuals

• Field MarshalLord Montgomery of Alamein:4 November 1947.
• James Benjamin Sykes: 18 May 1864.

Military units

• TheKing's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry:1945.
• TheYorkshire Regiment:13 March 2010.
• The Rifles:11 September 2010.

See also

• Listed buildings in Wakefield
• The Jolly Pinder of Wakefield
• Wakefield Trinity L.F.C.
• The Ridings Centre

References

Notes

Footnotes

Bibliography

• Beckett, J. V. (2005).City status in the British Isles,1830–2002.Ashgate Publishing.ISBN0-7546-5067-7.
• Bell, Richard (2009).Walks in the Rhubarb Triangle.Willow Island Editions.ISBN978-1-902467-18-4.
• Butler, Lawrence (1991).Sandal Castle Wakefield.Wakefield Historical Publications.ISBN0-901869-31-7.
• Creighton, O. H. (2004).Castles and landscapes.Equinox Publishing Ltd.ISBN1-904768-67-9.
• Freeman, T. W. (1966).The Conurbations of Great Britain.Manchester University Press.
• Galloway, Robert L. (1971).Annals of Coal Mining and the Coal Trade Vol. 1,1898.David & Charles.ISBN0-7153-4980-5.
• Holt, J. C. (1997).Colonial England, 1066-1215.Continuum International Publishing Group.ISBN1-85285-140-6.
• Lupton, Joseph Hirst(1864).Wakefield Worthies, biographical sketches.London: Hamilton & Co.
• Mills, A. D. (1998).Dictionary of English Place-Names.Oxford.ISBN0-19-280074-4.
• Reaney, P. H. (1964).The origin of English place-names (corrected 3rd pr.).Routledge and Kegan Paul.ISBN0-19-280074-4.
• Saunders, John (1848).The People's journal, Volume 4.John Saunders.
• Taylor, Kate (2008).The Making of Wakefield 1801–1900.Wharncliffe.ISBN978-1-84563-078-2.
• WakefieldMDC (2008).List of Listed Buildings, Scheduled Ancient Monuments and Buildings of Local Interest(PDF).wakefield.gov.uk.Archived(PDF)from the original on 15 June 2011.Retrieved23 November2009.
• Walker, J. W. (1966).Wakefield its History and People Vol.1&2 3rd Edn.S.R. Publishers.

External links

• City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
• WakefieldatCurlie