Invitation to explore district’s history as part of Heritage Open Day events

The district’s history will be brought to life with guided tours, talks and visits to historical buildings as part of Heritage Open Days from 12 - 21 September.

The Council’s museums, castles and libraries will be hosting a number of events and activities, including:

• Discover the intriguing history of Pontefract Castle on a friendly and informative free tour of the castle.
• Go behind the scenes and discover some of the wonders of Wakefield Museums and Castles Collections on the Museum Store Tour. Led by experts in the collections team, delve into a treasure trove of objects from Wakefield’s past. And find out how the Wakefield Museums and Castles team keep them safe.
• Meeting at the district’s libraries, the whole family can join storyteller Beccy Dye for ‘Once Upon A Story Trail’, an enchanting series of tales set in and around different parts of the district. Together discover battlefields, tales of love, and charging sea lions on a series of easy-going story walks around the local area.

A number of event organisers are new to this year’s festival, including in Castleford where the Castleford Civic Society, Castleford Parish Church and the Castleford Hong Kong community are all organising Heritage Open Days events for the first time this year. 

Other highlights include:

• The Art House will be hosting two very special open days – opening parts of the building so visitors can explore the 119-year-old former Carnegie Library.
• Join Yorkshire Sculpture Park‘s Heritage volunteers and Head of Estates on a guided tour of the Bridges of Bretton. Explore their design, function, and place in Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s heritage and ongoing care.
• A chance to climb Wakefield Cathedral’s tower and see Wakefield from a new perspective.
• Visit Pontefract's best kept secret, the Elizabeth Love Museum Pontefract, the former home of brother and sister, Joe and Elizabeth Love. Together they amassed an amazing collection, including antiques, Castleford Pottery and 25 long case clocks.
• West Yorkshire Astronomical Society will give a short talk about the Rosse Telescope at the WYAS Rosse Telescope and Observatory, followed by a look around the observatory.
• West Yorkshire History Centre’s Behind the Scenes Tour is a great opportunity to get a backstage tour of the district’s archives – they care for over eight miles of historic records in safe storage in this purpose-built archive building.
• Visit Wakefield’s Mental Health Museum and come and meet some very special guests as art, drama and history collide to challenge the ways we think about mental health experiences past and present.
• Visit the beautiful Westgate Unitarian Chapel, another unusual building that has played an important part in Wakefield’s history, including tours of the crypt.

All events are free to attend. For more information on timings and advance bookings visit https://experiencewakefield.co.uk/event/heritage-open-days-wakefield/