61-627: The West Riding Automobile Company was a bus company that served the Wakefield area of Yorkshire , England from 1922. The West Riding Automobile Company was formed as a subsidiary of the Yorkshire (West Riding) Electric Tramways Company, which was founded in 1904 to operate electric tramway services in the area. However, by the 1920s, there was a decline in the use of tramways, and the West Riding Automobile Company
122-636: A conservation area . On 2 June 1906, Andrew Carnegie opened a new Wakefield Library on Drury Lane which had been built with a grant of £8,000 from the Carnegie Trust. There are seven ex-council estates in Wakefield which the council started to build after the First World War , the oldest is Portobello, the largest is Lupset and the rest are Flanshaw , Plumpton, Peacock, Eastmoor and Kettlethorpe . Homes not bought by occupants under
183-646: A town hall and is home to the county hall , which was the former administrative centre of the city's county borough and metropolitan borough as well as county town for the West Riding of Yorkshire . The Battle of Wakefield took place in the Wars of the Roses , and the city was a Royalist stronghold in the Civil War . Wakefield became an important market town and centre for wool, exploiting its position on
244-457: A multi-storey carpark serving the station, and a hotel. A new market hall opened in 2008, but closed in 2018. In 2023, conversion began of it into Wakefield Exchange , an events space. Developments by the river and canal, the "Wakefield Waterfront", include the refurbishment of the Grade II listed Navigation Warehouse and office, retail, restaurant and cafe units. The development includes
305-497: A population of 76,886 in 2001. At the 2011 Census, the population was given as 99,251. However, these two estimates are not directly comparable, as the 2001 Census did not classify the old Stanley Urban District as part of Wakefield whereas the 2011 Census classified all settlements in this area except Bottom Boat (a small village built for Newmarket Colliery workers) as parts of Wakefield. Wakefield RSD 1881 – 1911 Wakefield MB/CB 1921 – 1961 The economy of Wakefield declined in
366-557: A variety of vehicles, including those produced by Guy , Bristol , AEC and Daimler , although in later years it tended to prefer those produced by Leyland . The company was involved in the development of the Guy Wulfrunian from 1959 onwards, and purchased 126 of the 137 vehicles produced and acquired a further 6 second hand. Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire , England located on
427-463: A vehicle per 1,000 of the population was 7.9 and 3.9 compared to the English national average of 6.3 and 2.3 respectively. The number of sexual offences was 0.9, in line with the national average. The national average of violence against another person was 16.7 compared to the Wakefield average of 15. The figures for crime statistics were all recorded during the 2008–09 financial year. Wakefield had
488-684: Is Wakefield Cathedral , which at 247 feet (75 m) has the tallest spire in Yorkshire. Other landmarks in the Civic Quarter on Wood Street include the Grade II* Neoclassical Crown Court of 1810, Wakefield Town Hall designed by T.E. Collcutt and opened in 1880, and the County Hall of 1898 built in a Queen Anne Style which are Grade I listed. St John's Church and Square, St John's North and South Parade are part of residential development dating from
549-515: Is 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Leeds and 28 miles (45 km) south-west of York on the eastern edge of the Pennines in the lower Calder Valley. The city centre is sited on a low hill on the north bank of the River Calder close to a crossing place where it is spanned by the 14th-century, nine-arched, stone Chantry Bridge and a reinforced concrete bridge built in 1929–1930. It is at
610-586: Is very gode chepe there. A right honest man shal fare well for two pens a meale". As preparation for the impending invasion by the Spanish Armada in April 1588, 400 men from the wapentake of Morley and Agbrigg were summoned to Bruntcliffe near Morley with their weapons. Men from Kirkgate, Westgate, Northgate and Sandal were amongst them and all returned by August. At the time of the Civil War, Wakefield
671-658: The 2022 Wakefield by-election , which was held on 23 June and won by Labour's Simon Lightwood . The Wakefield South ward covering Sandal, Kettlethorpe, Agbrigg and Belle Vue, is in the Hemsworth constituency , represented by the Labour party's Jon Trickett since 1996. He was re-elected in May 2010, and returned in 2015 with 51.3% of the vote. The seat has been held by the Labour Party since its creation in 1918. Wakefield
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#1732801259839732-497: The Barnsley Canal were instrumental in the development of Wakefield as an important market for grain and more was sold here than at any other market in the north. Large warehouses were built on the river banks to store grain from Norfolk , Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire to supply the fast-growing population in the West Riding of Yorkshire . Great quantities of barley were grown in the neighbourhood and in 1885 more malt
793-652: The Doncaster to Leeds line. It has connections to the East Coast Main Line , trains to Leeds, Doncaster, and stations towards London King's Cross . CrossCountry trains go to Newcastle , Edinburgh , Birmingham and the South West . East Midlands Railway also run a limited service via Sheffield, Derby and Leicester to London St Pancras . Wakefield Westgate is on the Wakefield Line of
854-633: The Hallam Line , Huddersfield Line and the Pontefract Line of the MetroTrain network. Grand Central operating between London King's Cross and Bradford Interchange stop at Kirkgate. In 2009 CCTV was installed at the station, but it had acquired a reputation for being one of the country's worst stations. It has, however, undergone extensive renovation (2014–). The nearest airport is Leeds Bradford Airport , 19 miles (31 km) to
915-747: The Labour Party and the councillors for Wakefield South represent the Conservative Party . The parliamentary seat of Wakefield had been held by the Labour Party continuously from 1932 until the 2019 general election , when the Conservative Party's Imran Ahmad Khan defeated the incumbent Mary Creagh . The Conservative Party expelled Khan from the party on 11 April 2022, following a conviction of sexual assault. He announced three days after his conviction that he would be resigning as an MP, and left his post on 3 May, triggering
976-462: The Norman style and was continually enlarged until 1315 when the central tower collapsed. By 1420 the church was again rebuilt and was extended between 1458 and 1475. In 1203 William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey received a grant for a market in the town. In 1204 King John granted the rights for a fair at the feast of All Saints , 1 November, and in 1258 Henry III granted the right for fair on
1037-723: The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 with an elected board of guardians. The town was incorporated as a municipal borough with elected councillors in 1848 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. Wakefield was the de facto seat of regional government in Yorkshire for two centuries and became the county headquarters of the West Riding County Council created by the Local Government Act 1888 . After Wakefield
1098-459: The Right to Buy scheme were transferred to a registered social landlord, Wakefield and District Housing (WDH) in 2005. The outlying villages of Sandal Magna , Belle Vue and Agbrigg have become suburbs of Wakefield. The glass and textile industries closed in the 1970s and 1980s, and coal faced competition from alternative sources and demand decreased. The coal mines around Wakefield were amongst
1159-636: The River Calder by a ford at Wakefield near the site of Wakefield Bridge . A large group of coin moulds, the Lingwell Gate coin moulds , representing Romano-British coin forgery were found at Lingwell Gate between 1697 and 1879. Wakefield was probably occupied again, this time by the Angles , in the 5th or 6th century, and after AD 876 the area was controlled by the Vikings who founded twelve hamlets or thorpes around Wakefield. They divided
1220-645: The River Calder . The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census , up from 99,251 in the 2011 census . The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield , which had a 2022 population of 357,729, the 26th most populous district in England. It is part of the West Yorkshire Built-up Area and the Yorkshire and The Humber region. In 1888, it gained city status due to its cathedral . The city has
1281-714: The Trinity Walk retail development to the north east of the city centre, including a department store, a supermarket and shop units. Work began in autumn 2007 but was halted in 2009, restarted in 2010 and opened in 2011. The central square at the Bull Ring has been redesigned with a water feature and the Ridings Shopping Centre refurbished. Wakefield Westgate Station goods yard and land on Westgate and Balne Lane have been developed to create retail, residential and commercial space including new offices,
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#17328012598391342-659: The West Yorkshire Metro network. The line was electrified in 1989. Wakefield is served by inter-city express trains from both its railway stations. London can be reached in less than two hours. Wakefield Kirkgate railway station was opened by the Manchester and Leeds Railway in 1840. Wakefield Kirkgate is unstaffed and operated by Northern who operate trains to Barnsley , Meadowhall Interchange , Sheffield , Normanton , Pontefract , Knottingley , Leeds , Castleford and Nottingham . The station serves
1403-452: The 132,212 households in Wakefield, 39.56% were married couples living together, 28.32% were one-person households, 9.38% were cohabiting couples and 9.71% were lone parents. The figures for lone-parent households were slightly above the national average of 9.5%, and the percentage of married couples was above the national average of 36.5%; the proportion of one-person households was below the national average of 30.1%. The population density
1464-577: The 2011 Census, Newton Hill, Outwood, Stanley and Wrenthorpe were counted as parts of Wakefield, having been classified separately in the 2001 Census. In 2001 the Wakefield subdivision of the West Yorkshire Urban Area had a population of 76,886 comprising 37,477 males and 39,409 females. Also at the time of the 2001 UK census , the City of Wakefield had a total population of 315,172 of whom 161,962 were female and 153,210 were male. Of
1525-756: The Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings . After the Conquest Wakefield was a victim of the Harrying of the North in 1069 when William the Conqueror took revenge on the local population for resistance to Norman rule. The settlement was recorded as Wachfeld in the Domesday Book of 1086, and covered a much greater area than present day Wakefield, much of which was described as "waste". The manor
1586-616: The Georgian period. The old Wakefield Bridge with its Chantry Chapel , Sandal Castle, and Lawe Hill in Clarence Park are ancient monuments . Another prominent structure is the 95-arch railway viaduct, constructed of 800,000,000 bricks in the 1860s on the Doncaster to Leeds railway line. At its northern end is a bridge with an 80-foot (24 m) span over Westgate and at its southern end a 163-foot (50 m) iron bridge crossing
1647-545: The River Calder was polluted, and various water supply schemes were unsuccessful until reservoirs on the Rishworth Moors and a service reservoir at Ardsley were built providing clean water from 1888. By 1885 the streets of the town were paved and flagged and lit with gas supplied by a company incorporated in 1822. Between 1870 and 1885 they made improvements on the north side of town around St John's Church now
1708-494: The River Calder. The Ridings Centre , opened in 1983, was a UK first and served as a template for many shopping centres throughout the UK. Clayton Hospital , a substantial Victorian edifice completed in 1880, closed in 2012 and has since been demolished. Wakefield has good access to the motorway system, with the intersection of the M1 and M62 motorways, junctions 42/29, lying to
1769-581: The Warennes that extended to Cheshire and Lancashire . The Warennes, and their feudal sublords, held the area until the 14th century, when it passed to their heirs. Norman tenants holding land in the region included the Lyvet family at Lupset. The Domesday Book recorded two churches, one in Wakefield and one in Sandal Magna . The Saxon church in Wakefield was rebuilt in about 1100 in stone in
1830-543: The area into wapentakes and Wakefield was part of the Wapentake of Agbrigg . The settlement grew near a crossing place on the River Calder around three roads, Westgate , Northgate and Kirkgate . The "gate" suffix derives from Old Norse gata meaning road and kirk, from kirkja indicates there was a church. Before 1066 the manor of Wakefield belonged to Edward the Confessor and it passed to William
1891-634: The area. As part of the privatisation of the National Bus Company, West Riding was sold to Caldaire Holdings. In 1995, it was sold to British Bus , which in turn passed to the Cowie Group on 1 August 1996. West Riding was later rebranded as Arriva Yorkshire . During its period of operation, West Riding has also had financial interests in a variety of other local operators, including Compass Bus, South Yorkshire Road Transport Company and Yorkshire Woollen. The West Riding Company used
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1952-449: The art gallery, The Hepworth Wakefield named in honour of local sculptor, Barbara Hepworth which opened in May 2011. The gallery has ten internal spaces, exhibiting many examples of Hepworth's work. The gallery added about £10 million to the local economy by attracting 500,000 visitors in its first year. Flats and offices were built at Chantry Waters, on an island between the river and canal. The most prominent landmark in Wakefield
2013-705: The construction of Wakefield bus station close to the Bull Ring at a cost of £60,000. By the mid-1950s, the company was the largest British operator to be in private hands. In 1967 it was acquired by the Transport Holding Company and became part of the National Bus Company on 1 January 1969. After local government reorganisation in 1974, the company worked with the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive which organised services in
2074-582: The country opened in 1704 and in 1765 Wakefield's cattle market was established and became the one of largest in the north of England. The town was a centre for cloth dealing, with its own piece hall, the Tammy Hall, built in 1766. In the late 1700s Georgian town houses and St John's Church were built to the north of the town centre. At the start of the 19th century Wakefield was a wealthy market town and inland port trading in wool and grain. The Aire and Calder and Calder and Hebble Navigations and
2135-515: The district council has been based in County Hall . Wakefield is covered by four electoral wards (Wakefield East, Wakefield North, Wakefield South and Wakefield West) of the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council. Each ward elects three councillors to the 63-member metropolitan district council, Wakefield's local authority. In 2015 all the councillors elected for Wakefield East, North and West were members of
2196-520: The district through the implementation of the West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan . A network of local buses, coordinated by West Yorkshire Metro and departing from Wakefield bus station in the town centre, serves Wakefield and district. Buses are operated by Arriva Yorkshire , Watersons Coaches, Poppletons, Team Pennine , Stagecoach Yorkshire and National Express . Wakefield Westgate station opened in 1867 on
2257-485: The district was diversified. Growth has been supported by inward investment from European and United Kingdom government funding which has impacted on the regeneration of the area. Manufacturing remains an important employment sector although the decline is projected to continue whilst distribution and the service industries are now among the main employers. At the 2001 census, there were 33,521 people in employment who were resident within Wakefield. Of these, 20.74% worked in
2318-582: The feast of Saint John the Baptist, 24 June. The market was close to the Bull Ring and the church. The townsfolk of Wakefield amused themselves in games and sports, the chief sport in the 14th century was archery and the butts in Wakefield were at the Ings , near the river. Wakefield was dubbed the "Merrie City" in the Middle Ages . During the Wars of the Roses , Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York
2379-546: The first in Yorkshire to close under the government of Margaret Thatcher , which altered the national energy policy from a reliance on British coal and opposed the political power of the NUM . Between 1979 and 1983, the pits at Lofthouse, Manor, Newmarket, Newmillerdam, Parkhill and Walton all closed. As the Wakefield pits closed, the Selby Coalfield was being opened, many colliers in Wakefield accepted offers to transfer to
2440-609: The junction of major north–south routes to Sheffield, Leeds and Doncaster and west–east routes to Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Pontefract. Wakefield is within the area of the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire & Yorkshire coalfield and lies on the middle coal measures and sandstones laid down in the Carboniferous period. Wakefield includes the former outlying villages of Alverthorpe , Thornes, Sandal, Portobello, Belle Vue, Agbrigg, Lupset, Kettlethorpe and Flanshaw. In
2501-456: The last quarter of the 20th century as the coal mines and traditional manufacturing industries closed, contributing to high rates of unemployment. In the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2015, 14.35% of the district's lower super-output areas were in the most deprived 10% of England. Employment grew by 12% between 1998 and 2003 as the economy recovered and enjoyed growth as the economic base of
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2562-708: The mining industry, soapworks and brickyards in Eastmoor, giving the town a diverse economy. Boats and sloops were built at yards on the Calder. On the outskirts of the town, coal had been dug since the 15th century and 300 men were employed in the town's coal pits in 1831. During the 19th century more mines were sunk so that there were 46 small mines in Wakefield and the surrounding area by 1869. The National Coal Board eventually became Wakefield's largest employer with Manor Colliery on Cross Lane and Park Hill colliery at Eastmoor surviving until 1982. Wakefield
2623-474: The navigable River Calder to become an inland port . In the 18th century, Wakefield traded in corn, coal and textiles. The name Wakefield may derive from "Waca's field" – the open land belonging to someone named "Waca" or could have evolved from the Old English word wacu , meaning "a watch or wake", and feld , an open field in which a wake or festival was held. In the Domesday Book of 1086, it
2684-522: The new pits which were built to facilitate commuting. An April 2021 article in The Guardian discussed nearby Heath (or Heath Common), the "village of the [200 year old] mansions", located "around the edge of the green". These housed the wealthy merchants and business owners. The local newspaper published specifics about one of the mansions in March 2021: Dower House was built c. 1740 ; it
2745-746: The north of the city at Yeadon . Inland port An inland port is a port on an inland waterway , such as a river , lake , or canal , which may or may not be connected to the sea. The term "inland port" is also used to refer to a dry port . The United States Army Corps of Engineers publishes biannually a list of such locations and for this purpose states that "inland ports" are ports that are located on rivers and do not handle deep draft ship traffic . The list includes ports such as St. Louis , Cincinnati , Pittsburgh , Kansas City , and Memphis . A dense network of inland waterways including ports exists also in Europe (France, Germany, Poland, Russia,
2806-561: The north west, whilst the M1 to the west is accessed at junctions 39, 40 and 41. The A1(M) is to the east of the district. Wakefield is crossed by the A61 , A638 , and A642 roads and is the starting point of the A636 and A650 roads. The council is working with West Yorkshire Metro , the other four West Yorkshire district councils and transport operators to provide an integrated transport system for
2867-591: The original owner's nephew (also known as John Smyth). The Hall is a Grade I listed building. Wakefield was anciently a market and parish town in the Agbrigg division of the wapentake of Agbrigg and Morley in the West Riding of Yorkshire . It became a parliamentary borough with one Member of Parliament after the Reform Act 1832 . In 1836 the Wakefield Poor Law Union was formed following
2928-456: The wholesale and retail trade, including repair of motor vehicles; 14.42% worked within manufacturing industry; 11% worked within the health and social work sector and 6.49% were employed in the transport, storage and communication industries. Wakefield is a member of the Leeds City Region Partnership , a sub-regional economic development partnership covering an area of the historic county of Yorkshire. Regeneration projects in Wakefield included
2989-411: Was 9.31/km (24.1/sq mi). Of those aged 16–74 in Wakefield, 39.14% had no academic qualifications , much higher than 28.9% in all of England. Of Wakefield's residents, 2.53% were born outside the United Kingdom, significantly lower than the national average of 9.2%. The largest minority group was recorded as Asian, at 1.41% of the population. The number of theft-from-a-vehicle offences and theft of
3050-401: Was a Royalist stronghold. An attack led by Sir Thomas Fairfax on 20 May 1643 captured the town for the Parliamentarians . Over 1500 troops were taken prisoner along with the Royalist commander, Lieutenant-General Goring . In 1699 an Act of Parliament was passed creating the Aire and Calder Navigation which provided the town with access to the North Sea . The first Registry of Deeds in
3111-425: Was also the site of the founding of the Miners' Association of Great Britain and Ireland , the country's first national trade union for miners, in 1842. During the 19th century Wakefield became the administrative centre for the West Riding , when many familiar buildings were constructed. The first civic building in Wood Street, Wakefield Court House , was built in 1810. The West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum
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#17328012598393172-400: Was an important coaching inn . The railways arrived in Wakefield in 1840 when Kirkgate station was built on the Manchester and Leeds Railway . When cloth dealing declined, wool spinning mills using steam power were built by the river. There was a glass works in Calder Vale Road, several breweries including Melbourne's and Beverley's Eagle Breweries, engineering works with strong links to
3233-402: Was built at Stanley Royd, just outside the town on Aberford Road in 1816. During the 19th century, the Wakefield Asylum played a central role in the development of British psychiatry, with Henry Maudsley and James Crichton-Browne amongst its medical staff. Most of it is now demolished. The old House of Correction of 1595 was rebuilt as Wakefield Prison in 1847. Wakefield Union workhouse
3294-557: Was built on Park Lodge Lane, Eastmoor in 1853 and Clayton Hospital was built in 1854 after a donation from Alderman Thomas Clayton. Wakefield Mechanics' Institute containing an Assembly Room, public library and newsroom supported by subscription was built in Wood Street in 1820–1821 in the Classical style with Ionic details. Wakefield Literary Society ran there from 1827 until the 20th century and its Geological Society left artefacts to Wakefield Museum. Up to 1837 Wakefield relied on wells and springs for its water supply; water from
3355-442: Was constructed for John Smyth by John Carr , of Yorkshire stone, and "retains many original features". It was intended to house widows. The Dower House is a Grade II*listed property; it was modified in the early 1800s. The nearby Heath Hall, Heath , West Yorkshire, formerly known as Eshald House, was also built c. 1709 for the wealthy wool trader, John Smyth. The Hall was modified by John Carr between 1754 and 1780 for
3416-494: Was elevated to a diocese in 1888, Wakefield council sought city status which was granted the same year. Wakefield became a county borough in 1913. In 1974, under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972 , the county borough became defunct as it merged with surrounding local authorities to become the City of Wakefield district. Today the city is the headquarters of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council , Yorkshire Ambulance Service and West Yorkshire Police . Since 1987,
3477-441: Was formed to operate bus services from its bases in Wakefield and Castleford . Twenty-two Bristol 4-ton vehicles were purchased at a cost of £30,000, and services began in April 1922. The speed of changeover was rapid, with the Castleford tramway system being abandoned just three years later. The company purchased its rival J Bullock & Sons of Featherstone in 1950, doubling the size of its fleet. In 1952, West Riding funded
3538-416: Was granted by the crown to William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey whose descendants, the Earls Warenne, inherited it after his death in 1088. The construction of Sandal Castle began early in the 12th century. A second castle, Wakefield Castle , was built at Lawe Hill on the north side of the Calder but was abandoned. Wakefield and its environs formed the caput of an extensive baronial holding by
3599-409: Was killed on 30 December 1460 in the Battle of Wakefield near Sandal Castle. In medieval times Wakefield became an inland port on the Calder and centre for the woollen and tanning trades. In 1538 John Leland described Wakefield as, "a very quick market-towne and meately large; well served of flesch and fisch, both from the se and by rivers, whereof divers be thereabout at hande, so that al vitaile
3660-408: Was made in Wakefield "than in any district of equal extent in the kingdom". The market developed in the streets around the Bull Ring, and the cattle market between George Street and Ings Road grew to be one of the biggest in the country. Road transport using turnpiked roads was important. Regular mail coaches departed to Leeds , London , Manchester, York and Sheffield and the 'Strafford Arms'
3721-464: Was written Wachefeld and also as Wachefelt . Flint and stone tools and later bronze and iron implements have been found at Lee Moor and Lupset in the Wakefield area showing evidence of human activity since prehistoric times. This part of Yorkshire was home to the Brigantes until the Roman occupation in AD 43. A Roman road from Pontefract passing Streethouse, Heath Common, Ossett Street Side, through Kirklees and on to Manchester crossed
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