Wakefield

Wakefield is located in West Yorkshire ,on the River Calder. Most probably, the name derives from the open fields that belonged to someone called “Waca”. Another theory suggests that it could also be from the Old English “wacu” meaning “wake” and “feld” meaning “field”.

Landmarks

The Wakefield Cathedral is the most notable milestone in Wakefield has the tallest spire in Yorkshire measuring 247 feet. Some of the other landmarks in Wakefield are

• The Grade II* Neoclassical Crown Court of 1810, 
• Wakefield Town Hall designed by T.W. Collcutt and opened in 1880
• St John's Church and Square
• St John's North and South Parade.
• The Queen Anne Style County Hall

Wakefield is also home to some ancient memorials such as the old Wakefield Bridge and Lawe Hill. The Sandal Castle is another memorial in Wakefield. One of the known structures in Wakefield is the 95-arch railway viaduct.  It used around 800,000,000 bricks in its construction in the 1860s. At its northern end is a 80-foot wide bridge over Westgate. The southern end has a 163-foot iron bridge crossing the River Calder.

 People

George Gissing, a novelist, was born in Wakefield in 1857. He spent his childhood in Thompson's Yard which is now maintained by The Gissing Trust. Other known people from Wakefield include sculptor Barbara Hepworth , David Storey  and David Hope. David Storey wrote This Sporting Life in 1960 which was later turned into a film in 1963. It  was mainly shot on location in Wakefield. David Hope, born in 1940 in Wakefield, was Archbishop of York between 1985 and 1991.

Sister Cities

• Alfeld, Germany
• Belgorod, Russia
• Castres, France
• CAstrop-Rauxel,Germany
• Girona, Spain
• Henin-Beaumont, France
• Herne, Germany
• Konin, Poland