City Guides
Wakefield
History
Wakefield’s history dates back to the medieval period. The city has had a market since a Royal Charter was granted in the thirteenth-century, and the Cathedral of All Saints – which still stands in the city today – has the tallest spire in South Yorkshire, dating back at least five hundred years. Wakefield was made a municipal borough in 1848 and has remained such ever since.
Historically, Wakefield was a cloth-dealing town, but much later coal mining became the principle industry. Although most of the mines in and around the city had already closed by the strike of ‘84/’85, minimising its impact, the West Yorkshire County Council (which employed many Wakefield people) was also closed down in the 80s, resulting in mass unemployment across the city. Investment in business and the regeneration of the area continue to benefit the area, and it is now very much a modern city, with unemployment at the rate of the national average.
Sandal Castle, overlooking Pugneys Country Park and the River Calder, is the ruin of the castle at which the Duke of York was defeated during the War of the Roses. Not only believed to be the inspiration of the rhyme ‘The Grand Old Duke of York’, Sandal Castle is also referred to in Shakespeare’s Henry VI. The Castle had become ruined by the end of the English Civil War, after being besieged by Parliamentary troops.
The Castle was provided with a wooden walkway in 2003 to prevent damage by the masses of visitors making their way to the Castle’s summit. A visitor’s centre has also been built nearby, to provide information about the Castle’s history and archaeological excavation.
In 1985, the old Caphouse Colliery had become exhausted and was closed down. Three years later, the colliery was renovated and reopened as a mining museum. The museum stands on the western edge of the Yorkshire coalfield, and had been used as a working mine for centuries.
Today the museum has an extensive collection of mining exhibits, including mining equipment through the ages, and provides underground tours with ex-miners as guides. The museum is currently working on an oral history collection, and interviews with miners and their families will be available in the museum library and, eventually, online. There are various exhibitions and events held throughout the year.
The museum is open seven days a week, from 10am until 5pm. Admission is free and the last underground tour begins at 3:15pm. The museum is in Overton, and there are buses from the city centre every half an hour.
Historically, Wakefield was a cloth-dealing town, but much later coal mining became the principle industry. Although most of the mines in and around the city had already closed by the strike of ‘84/’85, minimising its impact, the West Yorkshire County Council (which employed many Wakefield people) was also closed down in the 80s, resulting in mass unemployment across the city. Investment in business and the regeneration of the area continue to benefit the area, and it is now very much a modern city, with unemployment at the rate of the national average.
Sandal Castle, overlooking Pugneys Country Park and the River Calder, is the ruin of the castle at which the Duke of York was defeated during the War of the Roses. Not only believed to be the inspiration of the rhyme ‘The Grand Old Duke of York’, Sandal Castle is also referred to in Shakespeare’s Henry VI. The Castle had become ruined by the end of the English Civil War, after being besieged by Parliamentary troops.
The Castle was provided with a wooden walkway in 2003 to prevent damage by the masses of visitors making their way to the Castle’s summit. A visitor’s centre has also been built nearby, to provide information about the Castle’s history and archaeological excavation.
In 1985, the old Caphouse Colliery had become exhausted and was closed down. Three years later, the colliery was renovated and reopened as a mining museum. The museum stands on the western edge of the Yorkshire coalfield, and had been used as a working mine for centuries.
Today the museum has an extensive collection of mining exhibits, including mining equipment through the ages, and provides underground tours with ex-miners as guides. The museum is currently working on an oral history collection, and interviews with miners and their families will be available in the museum library and, eventually, online. There are various exhibitions and events held throughout the year.
The museum is open seven days a week, from 10am until 5pm. Admission is free and the last underground tour begins at 3:15pm. The museum is in Overton, and there are buses from the city centre every half an hour.
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