Home - 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.

Castleford Museum

Explore 15,000 years of local history at Castleford Museum! Uncover our Roman roots and learn about local industry.

$The remains of the keep at Pontefract Castle with a large tree full of orange autumn leaves$

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.

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.

George Kellett as a young man, smiling, in his army uniform

A Wakefield soldier's war

George Kellett was a First World War soldier from Wakefield.

At the beginning of 1918 George received a Christmas parcel. It contained a Christmas cake, parkin, a few apples and a diary.

Explore our interactive resource based on George's diary.

Discover what life was like in the trenches for a local lad.

George's diary

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

Roman Castleford Uncovered

Uncover Roman Castleford in a new digital experience!

Explore Castleford's Roman fort and dig up digital objects.

Learn what life was like in Roman Castleford. Interact with an augmented reality Roman soldier.

Get digging

Latest news and articles

A series of ceramic tiles showcasing different industries in the Wakefield district

31 Oct

Two new artworks by disabled artists are on display at Wakefield Museum this November.

New artworks by disabled artists on display

Paper sculptures recreating Charles Waterton's Victorian wildlife reserve at his home Walton Hall

22 Oct

Our new A World of Good gallery is now open at Wakefield Museum. It explores the life and work of Charles Waterton (1782 - 1865).

New A World of Good gallery

A young person in costume being filmed by other young people and a professional videographer

21 Oct

Pontefract Castle has been shortlisted for a national Fantastic for Families award!

Pontefract Castle shortlisted

Wakefield Museums and Castles