If you fancy a flutter at the races or would like to seek out a poltergeist, then Pontefract (known jokingly to locals as Ponte Carlo) might well be a good town for you to visit.
The town of Pontefract is steeped in history and its motto: Post mortem patris pro filio means: After the death of the father, support the son, which is a reference to the English Civil War Royalist sympathies.
According to the 2011 Census, Pontefract had a population of 30,881 and the town is one of five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield.
Today, Pontefract is still a market town (since the Middle Ages) and it is well connected by rail and by bus to places like: Leeds, Wakefield, Goole, Castleford, York and Sheffield with an adequate bus station and three handy railway stations i.e. Pontefract Baghill, Pontefract Monkhill and Pontefract Tanshelf.
Interestingly, Pontefract once held the British record for the town with the most pubs per square mile, and some of these pubs in the town centre still survive.
The deep sandy soil in the area meant liquorice could be successfully grown, and thus, the popular and famous Pontefract Cakes have been produced in the town for many years. Unfortunately, the liquorice plant is no longer grown there although there is usually a liquorice festival held every year.
Education is well-provided for in the town with the existence of King’s School and Carleton Community High School as well as there being New College which is a popular sixth form college.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, if you like a bit of supernatural excitement, then you could visit Chequerfield Estate which contains a house that is said to be haunted by The Black Monk of Pontefract.
A local mural artist named Rachel List recently came to the notice of the national press through her artistic tribute to key workers and the NHS during the Coronavirus outbreak, and helped to put the town again on the national map.
It is true that the coal industry used to provide much employment in the Pontefract area, but the last colliery, The Prince of Wales, sadly closed in 2002.
If you consider yourself to be sporty, the town would suit you as there is the excellent racecourse, various amateur teams like Pontefract Collieries F.C. and of course the famous local rugby league club Featherstone Rovers.
The history of Pontefract is fascinating and at the end of the 11th century it consisted of two separate localities: Tanshelf and Kirkby, with Ilbert de Lacy becoming the owner of Tanshelf after the Norman conquest in 1066. A wooden motte and bailey castle were initially constructed, then later rebuilt in stone, with the de Lacys living there until the death of Alice de Lacy in 1348.
Significantly, King Richard II was murdered at the castle in 1400, but no one really knows how.
During the English Civil War, between 1648-9, the castle was laid under siege three times by Oliver Cromwell and this left the town “impoverished and depopulated”. Then in March 1649, Pontefract inhabitants petitioned for the castle to be demolished to deter a fourth and potentially devastating siege. This happened in April 1649, leaving the ruins that people can visit today.
Today the historic Pontefract barracks still are the home of The Territorial Army, Army Cadets, Air Training Corps and a Rifles Regiment Recruitment team.
So, if you are in West Yorkshire and at a loose end, why not spend a day in the interesting and historic town of Pontefract – you never know, you may even be lucky on the horses!
If you want to visit more places then look at Dean’s Places on this website
Pontefract is featured in September 2020 Edition of FTHM
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