Two adults looking at a tall glass display case containing artworks on easels

Wakefield One Atrium and the Wall @ Create café

Enjoy even more displays in Wakefield One! As well as the main Wakefield Museum galleries, we also pop up in the Wakefield One Atrium and Create café.

Look out for star objects and new additions to our collection. See eye-catching exhibits by local groups and artists.

Here’s what you’ll discover at the moment:

A promotional photo from the 1960s of a smiling women holding various footballs in front of posters for 1965 and 1966 football competitions

From Horbury to Wembley: Before football came home

Upper Atrium, Wakefield One.

Wembley, 1966.

Geoff Hurst scores the goal that seals England’s 4-2 World Cup final victory against West Germany. The ball he smashes into the back of the net is a handmade Slazenger Challenge 4-Star made in Horbury.

100 years of refined craftsmanship went into the balls. In 1866 16-year-old William Sykes was tasked with making two footballs. Sykes later founded his own leather working and sports manufacturing company.

Football manufacturing in Horbury continued after Sykes merged with Slazenger in 1942. It peaked with the 1966 World Cup.

Explore Wakefield's sporting heritage and see examples of locally-made football equipment.

A red wicker basket on a red and black two-wheeled hand cart, with the letters G P O painted on the side

G.P.O. (General Post Office) handcart

Upper Atrium, Wakefield One.

This wooden handcart carried parcels through the streets of Castleford in the early 1900s. Postmen pushed their carts along busy routes. They delivered packages for local businesses and households. The large wicker basket kept parcels dry.

Handcarts and delivery bicycles were the best way to move heavier loads before motor vehicles became common.