Wakefield Museums and Castles

Discover the extraordinary at our museums and castles

Fireworks bursting from the keep at Pontefract Castle as the sun goes down

What's on

Exciting events. No-cost and low-cost activities and workshops. Expert talks and tours. Find out what's on at our sites.
A toddler in a red tunic grinning in front of Roman displays at Castleford Museum

Castleford Museum

Explore 15,000 years of local history at Castleford Museum! Uncover our Roman roots and learn about local industry.
The remains of the keep and curtain wall at Pontefract Castle covered in a layer of snow

Pontefract Castle

The Key to the North! Built around 1086 by Ilbert de Lacy, Pontefract Castle has many stories to tell.
A family doing dressing up in front of the Keirincx oil painting of Pontefract Castle in the 1640s

Pontefract Museum

Learn all about Pontefract's eventful history! From the Civil Wars to the success of liquorice - Pontefract has seen it all.
The remains of Sandal Castle on a bright crisp winter's day with snow dusting the surrounding grounds

Sandal Castle

Visit Sandal Castle, scene of the Battle of Wakefield in 1460! Sandal was a favourite castle of Richard III.
A child using a mini pair of binoculars to look around a nature reserve recreated in paper sculptures

Wakefield Museum

Explore the history of Wakefield at work and play. Discover surprising stories from the Merrie City.
Three adults looking at museum objects on ceiling-high shelves in the museum store

Explore our collections

We have over 110,000 amazing objects in our collections. From Rugby League to rhubarb, liquorice to LGBTQ+ stories. Explore them online. Enjoy expert articles and curated content.

Collections and stories

A child doing Christmas crafts as an adult in a santa hat watches on

Christmas crafts and recipes

Explore our wide range of Christmas crafts and recipes to make at home!

Looking for a unique centrepiece for your table? Fancy mixing up a historic tasty treat?

Whether for yourself or as a one-of-a-kind present for a loved one, we've got you covered.

Christmas activities

Latest news and articles

Bright red berries and green oval leaves of a holly plant 19 Dec

Discover facts and folklore about holly. It's our Medieval Herb Garden volunteers' plant of the week.

Medieval herb garden blog: holly
"Two tabby cats sat in bed in Victorian-era nightclothes, with their breakfast in bed of mice and birds on a tray, and a sign that says 'Breakfast in bed charged extra' 1 Dec

T'is the season of gifting and goodwill! We've had a look around our collections for some weird and wonderful Christmas cards.

Quirky Christmas cards
A pair of determined cartoon worms armed to the teeth with wacky weapons 27 Nov

We're celebrating 30 years of legendary video game Worms in a new display at Wakefield Museum.

30 Years of Worms

Subscribe to our newsletter

Be the first to hear about our upcoming exhibitions, events, workshops and news!

Subscribe