Wakefield City

A colourful history has shaped the Wakefield District, and it now offers a rare combination of heritage, countryside, entertainment, culture, shopping and sport.

There are enviable leisure time opportunities, from leading museums and galleries such as the internationally acclaimed Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the City Art Gallery, where examples of the work of locally born sculptors Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth can be found, to country parks such as Newmillerdam, Bretton and Pugneys, havens for wildlife and water sports. Wakefield’s Theatre Royal and Opera House has an extensive and constantly changing programme of entertainment and a visit to the National Coal Mining Museum will allow you to travel 450 feet underground and experience the conditions endured by coal miners over the years.

Excellent hotels and business facilities exist alongside stately homes and castles, and shopping for all is available, from indoor precincts to designer outlets, and open-air markets renowned for their bargains. 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 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 the city itself is alive until the early hours with pubs, clubs, discos and bars, there are also numerous country pubs and restaurants which offer quieter evenings out.

The District is famous for its sporting traditions and offers opportunities to witness the rivalry between the local rugby league teams or sample watersports, golf or racing, athletics, fishing, even snowboarding, skiing and other extreme sports at the Xscape leisure complex. Or simply stroll through one of the District’s many country parks.

The city commands a position in the centre of the country. It is easy to reach by bus or road and regular intercity rail services operate through Wakefield’s mainline station, allowing easy access from all points of the country, with the journey to London or Edingburgh taking just over two hours.

A warm, Yorkshire welcome is assured, in a District which offers an exceptional range of facilities to suit every need.