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Wakefield Court House

Buildings and structures in WakefieldFormer courthouses in EnglandGovernment buildings completed in 1810Grade II* listed buildings in West YorkshireUse British English from November 2023
Former Crown Court, Wakefield, West Yorkshire (3rd December 2022) 004
Former Crown Court, Wakefield, West Yorkshire (3rd December 2022) 004

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.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Wakefield Court House (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Wakefield Court House
Cliff Parade, Wakefield Eastmoor

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Latitude Longitude
N 53.6843 ° E -1.5018 °
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Cliff Parade

Cliff Parade
WF1 9SY Wakefield, Eastmoor
England, United Kingdom
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Former Crown Court, Wakefield, West Yorkshire (3rd December 2022) 004
Former Crown Court, Wakefield, West Yorkshire (3rd December 2022) 004
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Wakefield Mechanics' Institute
Wakefield Mechanics' Institute

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.

Theatre Royal, Wakefield
Theatre Royal, Wakefield

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.