Wakefield

Properties and events in Wakefield

Before heading out for your Heritage Open Days visit, please check entries for last-minute changes.

Print selected events below

120 years – Reference Room Drop In

Pontefract Museum, Salter Row, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 1BA
In person
Pre-booking not required

See photographs, drawings and other images of Pontefract Museum over the last 120 years in our relaxed Reference Room.

Caphouse Machine Rally

Caphouse Colliery, New Road, Overton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 4RH
In person
Pre-booking not required

Join us for the return of our popular machine rally, to embrace the art of engineering and the mechanics of mining. See vintage vehicles and mining machinery, with demonstrations and activities across site.

Castle Construction Crew

Pontefract Castle, Castle Chain, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 1QH
In person
Pre-booking not required

Take part in a design challenge - can you build the strongest structure? Plus learn about medieval building techniques and get hands on with some wattle and daub. This activity is suitable for all ages

Felkirk; The history and heritage of St Peter's church

St Peter's Parish Church, Church Lane, Felkirk, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S72 9DH
In person
Pre-booking not required

The area known as Felkirk is small but its heritage is full of depth and character. From historic buildings to local stories passed down through generations. So much here deserves to be shared and remembered.

Gissing Centre

2-4 Thompson's Yard, Westgate, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 1XH
In person
Pre-booking not required

The Gissing Centre is a small museum based in the childhood home of George Gissing (1857-1903) the late-Victorian novelist. The Centre invites visitors into a Victorian house in the heart of Wakefield to learn about the novelist and his family.

Museum Store Tour

Wakefield Museums and Castles Collections Store, Ossett, West Yorkshire,
In person
Pre-booking required

Go behind the scenes and discover some of the wonders of Wakefield Museums and Castles Collections.

Nostell, National Trust

Nostell Priory, Nostell Priory Estate, Nostell, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 1QE
In person
Pre-booking required

Discover the architectural history of Nostell, and the people that helped create it, including Robert Adam, James Paine, and Thomas Chippendale. Join the Language of Buildings tours, or pick up the family Architecture Detectives trail.

Pontefract Castle Explorer Tour

Pontefract Castle, Castle Chain, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 1QH
In person
Pre-booking required

Discover the intriguing history of Pontefract Castle on a friendly and informative tour of the castle. This tour is free for Heritage Open Days!

Sit and Sketch Sundays

Pontefract Castle, Castle Chain, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 1QH
In person
Pre-booking not required

Spend a relaxing Sunday sketching in a beautiful setting. Borrow some pencils or paints and have a go.

St John the Baptist Wakefield

Wentworth Street, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 2QU
In person
Pre-booking not required

Free entry to Grade II listed Georgian Church Building. A 30 minute film of the church architectural features, including bell tower & crypt will be playing. Archive display material exhibition. Refreshments available.

St Peter the Apostle Church, Kirkthorpe

St Peter the Apostle Church, Kirkthorpe Lane, Kirkthorpe, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 5SZ
In person
Pre-booking not required

St Peter the Apostle is a Grade II listed medieval building and grounds situated in a semi-rural area 3 miles from the ancient city of Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Many interesting features, including a 6 bell tower, church hall, upper and lower church

Stanley Ferry Workshop Open Day

Stanley Ferry, Stanley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF3 4LZ
In person
Pre-booking not required

Join us at the Stanley Ferry Workshop as part of this years Heritage Open Days. The workshop, found on the Aire and Calder Navigation, is one of only two places in the UK where lock gates are manufactured and refurbished by Canal & River Trust

Talk: 120 years - From Carnegie library to local museum

Pontefract Museum, Salter Row, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 1BA
In person
Pre-booking required

Pontefract Museum began its life 120 years ago as a Carnegie Library. Find out about how the building has changed over the last 120 years in a fascinating illustrated talk.

Talk: If these walls could talk     ( Ages 16+)

Pontefract Castle, Castle Chain, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 1QH
In person
Pre-booking required

What can castle ruins tell us about the past? Find out in a fascinating talk exploring the history and architecture of Pontefract Castle.

Tour: Sandal Castle - The Making of Sandal Castle

Sandal Castle, Manygates Lane, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF2 7DS
In person
Pre-booking required

Discover the history and development of the great Yorkist castle at Sandal. Find out about history where it took place on this informative guided tour.

Waterton’s Parkland and Wall

Waterton Park Hotel, The Balk, Walton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF2 6PW
In person
Pre-booking required

Come and learn about Charles Waterton; this eccentric, environmentalist, explorer and creator of the world’s first nature reserve.

Westgate Chapel (Unitarian)

Westgate Chapel (Unitarian), Westgate, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 1XR
In person
Pre-booking not required

Guided tour of Chapel and Burial Ground