The Wakefield District

The cathedral city of Wakefield is one of the liveliest, friendliest and most exciting cities in the North of England, with a colourful history that has shaped the Wakefield District, offering a rare combination of heritage, countryside, entertainment, shopping, sport - and vision.

Wakefield at night

Wakefield has multi-million pound regeneration plans for a future where the City is at the heart of the District’s economy, with a skilled workforce making a real contribution to the prosperity and diversity of the Yorkshire and Humber region.

The city will see significant transformation, with a strong public transport system allowing quick and convenient access to and around the city and surrounding neighbourhoods, a thriving commercial centre presenting distinctive retail areas, with the introduction of a department store and new outlets to complement the existing Ridings shopping centre, modern office accommodation, a range of quality residential opportunities, a mix of excellent leisure opportunities and in the very centre of the city, a newly developed Wakefield College Campus offering high quality education and training to all who can benefit.

The Wakefield District boasts enviable leisure time opportunities and nationally recognised cultural and leisure facilities such as the National Coal Mining Museum, where visitors can travel 450 feet underground to experience the conditions endured by the coal miners of yesteryear. At the Yorkshire Sculpture Park the work of locally born sculptors Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore can be found and a new sculpture gallery, the Hepworth, is planned for the city’s Waterfront development, to house original works by Barbara Hepworth.

Europe’s largest shopping village, the Outlet Village is situated at Glasshoughton, near Castleford, and the adjoining Xscape development houses one of the largest indoor real snow ski slopes in Europe, an ice climbing wall, multiplex cinema, bowling alley, shops and restaurants all under one roof, and attracts visitors from all over the country. The College has plans for an exciting new state-of-the-art development at Glasshoughton - the skillsXchange. Work on the will begin in 2007 on this new Campus, which will replace its existing provision at Whitwood and will provide skills for employability to students of all ages.

The Wakefield District is famous for its sporting traditions and offers opportunities to witness the fierce competition between the local rugby league teams Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats; and for the horse racing enthusiasts the longest continuous flat circular course can be found at Pontefract.

There is an abundance of walking and cycle paths throughout the District with country parks, nature trails, waterways and lakes all waiting to be explored. The lake at Pugneys Country Park is a haven for wildlife and water sports.

Wakefield’s Theatre Royal and Opera House has an extensive and constantly changing programme of entertainment and Wakefield is famous for its nightlife and lives up to its historical name of the ‘Merrie City’. All tastes, age groups and pockets are catered for, and whilst in the city centre, pavement cafés, restaurants, bars and an exciting nightlife enhance its cosmopolitan feel, there are also numerous country pubs and restaurants which offer quieter evenings out. A wide variety of cuisine allows you to choose from traditional Yorkshire home cooked fare to the more exotic, in a range of hostelries from village pubs to intimate bistros or elegant hotel restaurants.

Wakefield’s location at the heart of England and at the centre of the UK’s communications network offers unsurpassed transport links by road, rail, and air. At the intersection between the M1 and M62 and with the A1 at its eastern boundary, the District is well placed for access by road, and the city’s mainline railway station, offers excellent connections to key destinations with both London and Edinburgh being less than two hours away. Several airports offering domestic and international flights are also nearby, including Leeds Bradford, Robin Hood Airport, Manchester and East Midlands.

A warm Yorkshire welcome is assured in a District that has emerged from a century of reliance on coal mining to become a thriving manufacturing, entertainment, shopping and distribution centre, taking full advantage of its place in the heart of the country.