Wakefield, city of sculpture

Wakefield is a city in West Yorkshire, on the River Calder, about fifteen kilometres south of Leeds. The city itself has about 110,000 inhabitants, while the whole district has more than 350,000. The historic county town of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is a city of coal, wool and rhubarb, but above all of sculpture: Barbara Hepworth, one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century, was born here, and here are two of Europe's most important places for modern sculpture, The Hepworth Wakefield museum and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, with Henry Moore's works among the hills. Wakefield also has a cathedral with the tallest spire in Yorkshire and a rare medieval chapel built on a bridge.

Trains from London King's Cross take under two hours, and from Leeds about a quarter of an hour.

History: a battle and a rainbow

In the Middle Ages Wakefield was an important wool and cloth market. On 30 December 1460, during the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Wakefield was fought near the town, in which Richard, Duke of York, claimant to the throne, was defeated and killed by the Lancastrians. English schoolchildren still learn the order of the colours of the rainbow with the phrase Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain, whose initials match the colours. In the Middle Ages the town was also famous for its mystery plays, dramatisations of Bible stories staged by the guilds: the Wakefield cycle is one of the four English cycles to survive.

In the 19th century Wakefield became an administrative centre, the county town of the West Riding, and a coal-mining hub; the mines closed in the 1980s and 1990s after the great miners' strikes.

What to see in Wakefield

The Hepworth Wakefield

On the bank of the Calder, next to an old weir, stands The Hepworth Wakefield, a museum designed by the architect David Chipperfield and opened in 2011, with grey concrete blocks that seem to rise from the water. It shows the work of Barbara Hepworth, born in the city in 1903, including the plaster models and tools from her studio, together with a rich collection of modern British art and temporary exhibitions of international standing. Entry to the permanent collection is free, and the museum garden is a much-loved public space.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

About twenty minutes from the city, in the 18th-century park of Bretton Hall, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is one of the largest open-air museums in Europe: more than two hundred hectares of hills, lakes, woods and meadows where sheep graze among sculptures by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Antony Gormley, Ai Weiwei and dozens of other artists. There are also indoor galleries and an 18th-century chapel turned into an exhibition space. You can spend a whole day walking among the works, and entry to the park is free, with a charge for parking.

The cathedral and the bridge chapel

Wakefield Cathedral, dedicated to All Saints, has the tallest spire in Yorkshire, about 75 metres high, and fine stained glass and carved choir stalls. On the old medieval bridge over the Calder stands the Chantry Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, a small 14th-century Gothic chapel built directly on the bridge, where priests prayed for travellers: it is one of only four bridge chapels left in England, and opens on certain days.

The mining museum and Nostell

South-west of the city, the National Coal Mining Museum for England, at the old Caphouse Colliery, lets you go about 140 metres underground with former miners as guides, to see the tunnels and machinery and understand the miners' gruelling work. Entry is free. To the east is Nostell, a large Palladian National Trust house with furniture by Thomas Chippendale, who was born at Otley in Yorkshire, and a wooden clock made by the young John Harrison, inventor of the marine chronometer.

The Rhubarb Triangle

Wakefield is the centre of the Rhubarb Triangle, a small area between Wakefield, Leeds and Morley where forced rhubarb is grown: the plants are moved into long dark sheds and picked by candlelight, so that they grow pink, tender and sweet. Yorkshire forced rhubarb has European Protected Designation of Origin status, and every February the city holds a festival in its honour with markets, chefs and visits to the growing sheds.

A day in Wakefield

A possible itinerary: the morning at The Hepworth Wakefield, then a walk to the bridge chapel and the cathedral. After lunch head to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park for an afternoon among the sculptures and hills. With a second day, visit the mining museum and Nostell.

Sport and culture

Wakefield is a rugby league city: Wakefield Trinity, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest clubs and has won several Challenge Cups. The writer David Storey, born in the city, described the world of rugby in his novel This Sporting Life, which became a famous film. The writer and journalist George Gissing was also born in Wakefield.

Living in Wakefield

Wakefield has an economy based on services, logistics, thanks to its position at the junction of the M1 and M62 motorways, and public administration. Homes cost less than in Leeds, a few minutes away by train. After the mines closed, some parts of the district went through hard years, but the centre has been renewed around the museums and the riverside.

Getting there and getting around

• By train: from London King's Cross in under two hours on the East Coast Main Line, to Wakefield Westgate; frequent services to Leeds, Sheffield and York.
• By air: Leeds Bradford Airport is about forty minutes away, Manchester Airport about an hour.
• In the city: the centre and The Hepworth are within walking distance; for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the mining museum you need a car or a bus.

For travel around the rest of the country see trains and transport, and for other cities British cities.

Tips for your visit

• How long: one day for The Hepworth and the sculpture park; another for the mines and Nostell.
• When to go: May to September for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park; February for the rhubarb festival.
• A tip: at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park wear comfortable shoes and bring an umbrella, as the distances between the works are large.

Wakefield on the map

Nearby