Wakefield Museum

Wakefield Mechanics' Institute is a historic building in the city centre of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, in England. The building was constructed between 1820 and 1821, to serve as public rooms, with a music saloon on the first floor. The saloon opened in 1823, and the building soon also housed a subscription library, a newsroom, a savings bank, and a public dispensary, which was in the basement. The dispensary closed in 1832 following the death of the apothecary, who was living in the damp basement. Public baths were instead installed in the basement. From 1828, the saloon housed the town's annual charity ball, its most prominent social event.In 1838, a corn exchange was opened on Westgate, and events were instead held in its assembly room. In 1842, the saloon became a mechanics' institute. In 1897, the National Federation of SubPostmasters was founded at a meeting at the institute. In 1910, the building was renamed as the Institute of Literature and Science, but it declined in popularity, and closed in 1935. It was taken over by Wakefield Council, which let rooms out to various organisations, while allowing the saloon to be used for events.In 1955, the building became Wakefield Museum, which remained there until 2012. It was Grade II* listed in 1971.The building is two storeys high and five bays wide. It is built of sandstone, with rustication on the ground floor; the roof is covered in Welsh slate. The upper floors feature Ionic order pilasters, sash windows, and above them a frieze in which is inscribed "MECHANICS' INSTITUTION". The rear elevation is stuccoed and includes windows to the basement. There are wrought iron railings, with some finials in the form of urns.

Wakefield Old Town Hall, also known as No. 5 Crown Court, is a historic building in the city centre of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, in England. After operating as a town hall from 1861 to 1880, it served as an organ factory and then as commercial offices, before being adapted for residential use.

Wakefield Town Hall is a municipal building in Wood Street in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It remains a venue for weddings and civil partnerships but is no longer the headquarters of Wakefield Council which is now based at County Hall. The town hall is a Grade I listed building.

Wakefield Court House is a historic building in the city centre of Wakefield, a city in West Yorkshire, in England. The building was constructed in 1810, to house the court of quarter sessions. It was extended between 1849 and 1850, and in the 1880s. It later served as the Crown Court and as a County Court, but closed in 1992. It was sold for redevelopment, but little work was undertaken, and the building fell into disrepair. It was purchased by Wakefield Council in 2018, with plans to convert it into a performance space, but in 2023 the council decided that the plan was unviable, and instead sold it to a private developer, Rushbond. The building is in the Greek Revival style. It is built of sandstone, and is two storeys high. It has a large Doric order portico. There are single-storey side wings, and there is a two-storey section to the left, set further back.The building has been Grade II* listed since 1971.

County Hall or West Riding County Hall stands at the corner of Bond Street and Cliff Parade in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It is the main headquarters of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council. It is a Grade I listed building.

Wakefield, commonly known as the City of Wakefield, is a local government district with the status of a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Wakefield, the largest settlement, is the administrative centre of the district. The population of the City of Wakefield at the 2011 Census was 325,837. The district includes the Five Towns of Castleford, Featherstone, Knottingley, Normanton and Pontefract. Other towns include Hemsworth, Horbury, Ossett, South Elmsall and South Kirkby (also forms the civil parish of South Kirkby and Moorthorpe). The city and district are governed by Wakefield Council from the County Hall. In 2010, Wakefield was named as the UK's third most musical city by PRS for Music.

Wakefield is a constituency created in 1832, represented by Simon Lightwood of the Labour Party since 2022. The seat is due to be abolished for the next general election.

Wakefield One is a building in the city centre of Wakefield, a city in West Yorkshire, in England. The four-storey building was commissioned by Wakefield Council as its headquarters. It was designed by Cartwright Pickard Architects. Work began in August 2010, and the building was completed in January 2012. In addition to the council offices and a one-stop-shop for council services, it also houses Wakefield Museum, the city's central library, and a cafe. The building won the Regional Architect of the Year award.In 2022, it was announced that the museum and library would move to a new location on Kirkgate.

The Theatre Royal Wakefield is a theatre in Wakefield, England, which dates back to 1894. The theatre was originally known as the Theatre Royal and Opera House and dates back to the 1770s.The theatre lies on the corner Westgate and Drury Lane. It was designed in 1894 as the Wakefield Opera House, by theatre architect Frank Matcham, and was built for a price of £13,000. The Theatre Royal Wakefield is the smallest remaining of Matcham's theatres.In the 1920s the theatre had to compete against cinemas and in the summer live shows were replaced by films. In 1954 the theatre closed and became a picture house, and a few years later, a bingo hall. However, in 1981 it reopened as the Wakefield Theatre Royal under chairman Sir Rodney Walker. Support was given to revitalise the theatre from city leaders and music and drama amateurs and professionals.Theatre Royal Wakefield operates as both a producing and a receiving house. In 2011 British playwright John Godber joined the Theatre as Creative Director, and the Theatre now plays a producing role for The John Godber Company.Theatre Royal Wakefield works with young people, with its Performance Academy operating across two sites in Wakefield and Pontefract. It runs dance, music and drama training for children aged from 5 to 18, as well as its youth company, Wakefield Youth Music Theatre.In 2012 the Theatre applied for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a £2.6 million project to restore the theatre building.

The Art House is an art gallery and studio complex in the city centre of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, in England. The Art House was founded in 1994 as a charity, to enable artists with and without disabilities to work together. Initially, it organised events and residencies, but in 2008, it moved into a purpose-built space, on Drury Lane. It then secured funding to expand into the adjoining former library. Its new premises opened in 2015, with 34 studios, an art gallery, meeting room, and shop. The older part of the building was originally a Carnegie library, completed in 1905. It is in the Baroque style, built of stone, with a slate roof. It is single storey, with an entrance tower, which is topped by a wooden cupola and an iron weathervane. The north and south wings each have two large, round-headed windows, with decorative keystones. Either side of these are round windows. At the north end is a three-bay extension, with a central doorway. Inside, there is a central entrance hall, with a domed roof, and three large rooms leading off it. The building was Grade II listed in 1990.

Wakefield Exchange is a public building in the city centre of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, in England. The building was designed to serve as Wakefield Market Hall, replacing an older market hall on the site. It was designed by David Adjaye and completed in May 2008. It is supported by glulam columns and beams, clad in cedar wood which has been stained grey, with many walls being of glass. Inside, there were three halls, housing about 50 stalls.The new market did not prove successful, and in 2014, Wakefield Council made plans to demolish much of the structure. In 2018, the market closed, and the council proposed to retain only the canopy, and replace it with restaurants and a cinema. However, in 2023, it decided instead to retain the building and convert it into the Wakefield Exchange, an events venue with restaurants, a brewery, and space for creative businesses.

Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on 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 2021 population of 353,802, the 25th 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 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 the navigable River Calder to become an inland port. In the 18th century, Wakefield traded in corn, coal and textiles.