Wakefield

Wakefield first appears in FTHM Edition 82

Wakefield is a city in Yorkshire, England, which is 9 miles south-east of Leeds and 28 miles south-west of the city of York. It is located on the River Calder and is on the eastern edge of the Pennines and its population, in 2011, was 99,251. Interestingly, the name ‘Wakefield’ may derive from the old English ‘waccu’ (a watch or wake) and ‘feld’ (an open field in which a wake or festival was held) and in the Domesday Book of 1086, it was actually written as ‘Wachenfeld’ and ‘Wachefelt’.

The history of Wakefield (like most English cities) is rather interesting with there being evidence of prehistoric and Bronze and Iron Age activity – flint and stone tools and later bronze and iron artefacts have been found in the area. Until the Roman occupation in AD 43, it was the home of the Brigantes and was probably settled by the Angles in the 5th or 6th century. The area was then dominated by the Vikings after AD 876 who created 12 hamlets or thorpes around Wakefield. Edward the Confessor controlled the manor of Wakefield before 1066, and it was then taken over by William the Conqueror after the battle of Hastings. In 1100, the Saxon church was rebuilt in stone in the Norman style and again in 1420 before it was extended in 1458 and 1475.

Significantly, in 1203, a grant was received for the creation of a market in the town and because of the town’s love of games and sports, Wakefield was known as the “Merrie City” in the Middle Ages. Notably, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, lost his life during the War of the Roses in the Battle of Wakefield near Sandal Castle.

During Medieval times, Wakefield emerged as an inland port on the River Calder and was also a Royalist stronghold in the English Civil War. However, the town was captured by the Parliamentarians on 20 May 1643, which resulted in 1500 prisoners being taken including Lieutenant-General Goring. It is also worth noting that, in 1765, Wakefield’s cattle market was created and it became a major market of its kind in the north of England, and the town was also a centre for cloth dealing with its own piece hall.

At the start of the 19th century, Wakefield had become a wealthy market town and inland port dealing in grain and wool. Great quantities of barley were grown in the area and it is true to say that more malt was produced in Wakefield than in any other district of comparable size in the UK. Also in 1888, the Parish Church acquired cathedral status. The railways arrived in Wakefield in 1840, when Kirkgate station was built which helped to form links with other important locations in the UK.

When cloth production fell, spinning mills using steam power, were constructed by the river. There was adequate employment however, with a successful glass works, several breweries, an engineering works linked to the mining industry, brickyards and soap works and, in addition, there were yards on the Calder where boats and sloops were built. Coal had been mined in the area since the 15th century, and by 1869, there were 46 small mines in the area. The National Coal Board was in fact, the largest employer in the Wakefield area until 1982.

In the 19th century, Wakefield became the administrative centre for the West Riding and many important buildings like the Courthouse, The West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum (built at Stanley Royd) and the Public Library were built. But interestingly, the area relied on wells and springs until 1888 for water, as the River Calder was polluted, when clean water was provided through reservoirs at Rishworth Moors and Ardsley. In 1906, a new library was built on Drury Lane with a grant of £8,000 from the Carnegie Trust.

As elsewhere in the UK, Wakefield’s economy declined in the latter part of the 20th century as coal mines and traditional manufacturing industries closed, but happily, employment rose in the first part of the 21st century with inward investment from Europe and the UK government, which led to regeneration in the area. Interestingly, seven ex-council estates were transformed by the Right to Buy Scheme with those not purchased by occupants being transferred to a registered social landlord i.e., Wakefield and District Housing in 2005.

Today, if you have the opportunity to visit Wakefield, some of the buildings you can admire are: Wakefield Cathedral, the Crown Court, and Wakefield Town Hall and the County Hall – which are both Grade I listed buildings. The National Coal Mining Museum is fascinating and is also worth visiting. It is not a city that is difficult to access as there is a good road and rail network and the nearest airport (Leeds and Bradford) is only 19 miles away from the centre of Wakefield.

Sport is important to the people of Wakefield with rugby, football, cricket, athletics, archery and golf being offered. Water sports can also be practised at Pugneys Country Park.

Education is taken very seriously in the city and there are many good state schools and two top independent schools, namely, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and Wakefield Girls High School. Wakefield college provides further education places in the area with 3,000 full-time and 10,000 part-time students. Notably, there is also the Cathedral High School which is a Performing Arts College for people between 11 and 18.

People who visit the area can also see the ruins of Sandal Castle and its visitor centre, The Theatre Royal Wakefield, the Hepworth Wakefield Gallery (which displays work by international artists), or enjoy the three adjoining parks which date back to 1893. In addition, if you like popular music, you could attend the Clarence Park Musical Festival which is usually held annually.

So, if you are ever in the wonderful county of Yorkshire, why not check-out Wakefield as it has a colourful history and offers many pleasurable distractions.

* With a lot of help from Wikipedia