Wakefield Museums and Castles: home - Wakefield Museums and Castles
Wakefield Museums and Castles

Wakefield Museums and Castles - discover the extraordinary

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 with a tree overhanging in the foreground

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 in the background with bright yellow daffodils in the foreground

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.
A child holding a magnifying glass and pot to their face in front of the medieval herb garden at Pontefract Castle

May half term guide

May half term is just around the corner!

Plan your family adventures with our handy half term guide.

May half term guide

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

Latest news and articles

Matthew in his green volunteering fleece talking to an adult and child at the entrance to Pontefract Castle 14 May

Matthew writes about his experience volunteering with us in this guest blog.

Matthew: my experience
A large purple flower with many thin long petals and widely spread long thin pale green leaves underneath 13 May

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

Medieval herb garden blog: salsify
Two Victorian meteorological surveying instruments on a blue cloth 8 May

Wakefield Council is looking to appoint freelance specialists to two commissions relating to the John Goodchild collection.

John Goodchild commissions

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