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Wakefield Although Wakefield is probably best known as the capital of the Rhubarb triangle with its forced early Rhubarb crops the city is steeped in history. The name Wachefeld can be traced back to the doomsday book in 1086 with the name meaning a field in which a wake was held. The city is also home to one of only four remaining Chantry Chapels in England, the Chapel of St Mary the Virgin on Wakefield Bridge was built in the middle ages and is over 650 years old. Wakefield is also the site of a great battle which took place at Sandal Castle, this was the battle of Wakefield, The battle happened at the very end of 1460 during the Wars of the Roses and it is where the Duke of York was killed and his forces defeated. One derivation of the nursery rhyme The Grand Old Duke Of York is said to be based on the battle of Wakefield with Sandal Castle being the hill mentioned in its verse. In the 20th century the predominant industry around Wakefield was coal. Other industry in the area was glass and textiles, which unfortunately faded out in the late 1970s. When the Conservative Party came to power in 1979, under the leader Margaret Thatcher, her primary aim was to break the power the unions had. The National Union of Miners (NUM) was a casualty of the unprecedented determination by the government to break their power. The coal industry was ravaged, and communities were split as people moved to other coal fields that were still in operation. For those that stayed the times were good until the redundancy ran out and then the knock on effects could be seen everywhere. As a consequence the city went in to decline as the communities around it fell in to a state of depression and lethargy. The dawn of the millennium brought change to Wakefield and the surrounding areas. Regeneration money was used for projects and new developments began to rise out of the ruins of the old discarded industry. Projects such as luxury apartments by the canal may not be to everyone’s taste but it adds to the much needed facelift of the city. Financial support continues and enables many new developments and projects in the city centre, bringing Wakefield up to date with its near neighbours of Bradford and Leeds.

Wakefield

Although Wakefield is probably best known as the capital of the Rhubarb triangle with its forced early Rhubarb crops the city is steeped in history. The name Wachefeld can be traced back to the doomsday book in 1086 with the name meaning a field in which a wake was held.

The city is also home to one of only four remaining Chantry Chapels in England, the Chapel of St Mary the Virgin on Wakefield Bridge was built in the middle ages and is over 650 years old.

Wakefield is also the site of a great battle which took place at Sandal Castle, this was the battle of Wakefield, The battle happened at the very end of 1460 during the Wars of the Roses and it is where the Duke of York was killed and his forces defeated. One derivation of the nursery rhyme The Grand Old Duke Of York is said to be based on the battle of Wakefield with Sandal Castle being the hill mentioned in its verse.

In the 20th century the predominant industry around Wakefield was coal. Other industry in the area was glass and textiles, which unfortunately faded out in the late 1970s. When the Conservative Party came to power in 1979, under the leader Margaret Thatcher, her primary aim was to break the power the unions had. The National Union of Miners (NUM) was a casualty of the unprecedented determination by the government to break their power. The coal industry was ravaged, and communities were split as people moved to other coal fields that were still in operation. For those that stayed the times were good until the redundancy ran out and then the knock on effects could be seen everywhere. As a consequence the city went in to decline as the communities around it fell in to a state of depression and lethargy.

The dawn of the millennium brought change to Wakefield and the surrounding areas. Regeneration money was used for projects and new developments began to rise out of the ruins of the old discarded industry. Projects such as luxury apartments by the canal may not be to everyone’s taste but it adds to the much needed facelift of the city. Financial support continues and enables many new developments and projects in the city centre, bringing Wakefield up to date with its near neighbours of Bradford and Leeds.

Wakefield From Sandal Castle