Thursday, October 31, 2024

Lighting up Wakefield: guide to The Timekeepers by Illuminos

This year's Light Up Wakefield (part of Our Year - Wakefield District 2024) invites you to see spectacular digital installations and experience the city in a whole new light!

One of the 2024 installations is The Timekeepers by Illuminos, which will be projected onto County Hall. 

It is a projection mapping piece based on the 300-year old story of Wakefield-born genius John Harrison. Harrison set his mind to the great mystery of the age – the perfect measurement of time and space. 

The Timekeepers celebrates the great variety of heritage, culture and arts that can be discovered across the Wakefield district.

The installation flies through time and tells stories, large and small from the Wakefield district. 

We're extremely excited, as our collections play a big part in telling the story! It sees some of our tiniest objects made gigantic on the beautiful facade of County Hall.

So what objects can you expect to see in The Timekeepers? Here's a guide to some of the highlights - some you might be familiar with, and others you might not!

The Waterton Clock, 1670s

An ornate lantern clock from the seventeenth century, about 40 centimetres tall, featuring silver nature designs, a domed top, and a swinging pendulum

This is a gorgeous lantern clock which was owned by the Waterton family for generations. 

Charles Waterton (1782 - 1865) of Walton Hall thought that the clock was once owned by Sir Thomas More (1478 - 1535). Waterton believed he was a descendant of More. 

More was Lord High Chancellor to Henry VIII - until he had him executed!

However, the clock was actually made over 100 years after the death of More. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful piece and lends itself brilliantly to The Timekeepers! It's also the oldest clock in our collection.

The 'Castleford Pig', around 1910

A tiny black wooden carved pig, with a looking glass in its belly containing tiny replications of photos of Castleford

The 'Castleford Pig' is literally a window through time! 

Inside this tiny carving of a pig is a looking glass. When you hold the object up to the light, you can see six pictures of Castleford from the early 1900s. 

It's an example of a Stanhope picture viewer, and novelty versions were very collectable. They came in many shapes and sizes, and could feature lots of pictures.

The Timekeepers is about incredible, huge visuals projected onto one of Wakefield's most spectacular buildings. 

So it's absolutely delighted us that our tiny pig, which is only about the size of a £1 coin, is going to be the size of County Hall! 

Glassware made by Bagley and Co Ltd in Knottingley, 1930s

A bright yellow glass vase with four handles and four little koalas on the handles
Although originally started as a bottle factory, Bagley's also made decorative glass. It became especially known for its vibrantly coloured glass developed in the 1930s.

However, there's a hazardous reason behind some of these brilliant colours - some were created using uranium, a radioactive element!

Coloured glass production ended in the 1940s when uranium was needed for atomic bomb development in the Second World War.

After the war, Bagley's went on to create a very dark black glass, known as 'jetique'. 

The eyepopping colours of Bagley's glassware makes it perfect to be projected in The Timekeepers. 

If you'd like to see more, there's a whole Glass Room at Pontefract Museum (don't worry, these ones aren't radioactive!) 

Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb

Inside of a forced rhubarb shed, a dark room with lots of stalks of bright pink rhubarb reaching to the sky

A celebration of Wakefield's heritage wouldn't be complete without rhubarb!

Thanks to good soil mixed with lots of ashes, horse manure and textile waste, and just the right amount of rain, Wakefield specialises in 'forced rhubarb'. The city forms part of the 'Rhubarb Triangle' with Leeds and Morley.

There's a display about the history of growing rhubarb at Wakefield Museum, where you can even hear it growing. The sound might surprise you!

You can also find out more about why Wakefield roots for rhubarb in this blog post.

Phenakistiscope discs, 1880s

A circular wooden phenakistiscope disc with illustrations of a horse and rider on the outer ring, and a jumping dog on the inner ring

They might be a bit of a mouthful to pronounce, but phenakistiscope discs are actually an early type of animation.

They were invented in the early 1800s, long before film or even photography as we know it. 

Our collection of phenakistiscope discs, including this one pictured, belonged to the Farrers. The Farrers were a famous clock-making family from Pontefract. Hence the link to The Timekeepers

The Illuminos team bring these discs to life through digitally replicating their analogue animation.

Playmakers - Sykes and Slazenger

A blue quiver with a leather strap, containing wooden arrows with coloured feathers
A Slazenger quiver of arrows, 1950s

Wakefield has quite the sporting heritage! Our Playmakers collection tells the story of how, for more than a century, Horbury was a centre of sporting excellence and innovation.

The factory at Horbury was first founded by William Sykes, and then became Slazengers during the Second World War.

Horbury-made sporting equipment supplied the World Cup, Challenge Cup, and was endorsed by sports stars including Steffi Graf and Don Bradman.


Commemorative marbles from A Reight Neet Aht, 1930s to 1950s 

A large glass marble with 'Castleford, Reight neet aht, April 21 1936' painted on it

Prepare yourself for a torrent of marbles to cascade down County Hall! And no, it's not just because we've lost ours... 

A game of marbles was a big deal in Castleford! From 1936 an unlikely and flamboyant charity event called 'A Reight Neet Aht' created a buzz at the Castleford Co-Operative Hall. 

Known as 'taws', these marbles contests raised money for Leeds Infirmary over the next 20 years.

The marbles for the tournament, along with glass trophies, were made in and around Castleford. They all look mighty impressive projected large in The Timekeepers!

You can don your gladrags for a glamorous game of marbles in A Reight Neet Aht at Castleford Museum.

The Wakefield Pageant, 1933

A photograph of a long chain of girls in matching outfits, with the girls on the outer sides of the 'train' carrying wheels, and a torch at the front
A group of girls from Thornes House Secondary School and Ings Road Central School acted as a 'ballet' steam train in the 1933 Wakefield Pageant!

The Pageant of Wakefield and the West Riding took place in June 1933 in Thornes Park, Wakefield. It celebrated Wakefield's past and present, and imagined the city's future.

A whole cast of schools and societies took part, each playing different roles from Wakefield's proud history. They also helped to make the costumes and lavish backdrops.

More than 2,000 performers took part in the Pageant over 10 performances. Thousands of people turned out to enjoy the spectacle.

Objects and photographs from the 1933 Pageant are projected alongside The Hatchling in The Timekeepers. The Hatchling was an amazing event during the summer of Our Year - Wakefield District 2024, which saw a dragon hatch in Wakefield.

The Wakefield Pageant was very much the 'Our Year' of 1933!

You can see a special art display inspired by the Wakefield Pageant by artist Louise Goult in the lower atrium of Wakefield One.

Anglo-Saxon cross, around 900 to 1000 AD

The remains of a decorated Anglo-Saxon cross shaft, topped and tailed by reconstructions of what the rest of the originally brightly painted cross might have looked like

This stone cross is the first evidence of a settlement in modern Wakefield. 

The cross was probably used for preaching, and it stood in Wakefield's marketplace until 1546. It then disappeared until 1861, when Edmund Waterton (son of Charles Waterton) rescued it from the demlotion of an old butcher's shop. The cross shaft had been used as a doorstep to the butcher's!

Not only is this object important in telling us about the creation of Wakefield, it was once a vibrant and colourful creation. 

The cross is on display at Wakefield Museum - it is on loan courtesy of York Museums Trust.

Monday, September 30, 2024

Sporting Heritage Day 2024: A Reight Yorkshire Affair

Every year, September 30 is National Sporting Heritage Day. The Wakefield district has a wealth of sporting heritage! 

While the likes of Rugby League, Sykes and Slazenger are pretty well known, here we're shining a light on two of our region's more unusual sporting events.

They feature in our latest displays at Castleford Museum and the new Ossett Library Museum Hub - and have suitably Yorkshire names!

Ah’ll race thee!

We're celebrating the World Coal Carrying Championships in the newly refurbished and reopened Ossett Library in Ossett Town Hall.

 
A tall display case containing a mannequin wearing World Coal Carrying Championship competitor's clothing and carrying a bag of coal, and surrounded by memorabilia. There is also a screen playing a video and some leaflets.
The 'Ah'll race thee!' display at Ossett Library

Every Easter Monday the village of Gawthorpe comes together to stage the World Coal Carrying championships.

What could be more Yorkshire than running up a steep hill with a heavy bag of coal on your back after making a bet in a pub?

That pub bet in the 1960s has turned into a Guiness World Record annual sporting event!

The main adult race is a gruelling challenge. Contestants carry a bag of coal from the Royal Oak pub on Owl Lane in Ossett to the Maypole Green in Gawthorpe. 

The route covers 1012 metres. Men carry 50 kilograms of coal and women carry 20 kilograms. Each year a pigeon clock records the official race times.

The race is much more than a sports competition. Athletes take part for lots of different reasons. They run for charity, personal improvement, or on behalf of a loved one who no longer can.

David Jones’ Guinness World Record time of four minutes and six seconds was set in 1995 and still stands today!

See what happened in the 2022 event, the first after the COVID-19 lockdowns, in our video:


A Reight Neet Aht! at Castleford Museum

Between 1936 and 1957 Castleford held a star-studded sporting event.

Since 1932 the game of marbles has been officially classified as a sport. Local journalist Sid Colclough got the community together to host an annual marbles (or taws) tournament each year as a charity event.

The event was the talk of Yorkshire. The cinema and music hall star, Gracie Fields was a patron. In 1940, the star guest was entertainer, George Formby. 

In 1955 Chairman of the Daimler motorcar company, Sir Bernard and Lady Docker, attended the event, arriving in a golden car. They played marbles, resting their knees on golden cushions. Lady Docker became Women’s world taws champion, and they donated £1000 towards cancer relief.

Find out more about the fabulous 1955 event in this video:



In 1956 the event was given a ‘zebra’ theme, some marbles even had zebra stripes. Even cars arrived reupholstered with zebra skins!

Explore more about A Reight Neet Aht in our dedicated blog, or visit the new display and get your gladrags on at Castleford Museum.

The Reight Neet Aht display, with a display case containing trophies, marbles and memorabilia from the event, an information panel, a basket with dressing up clothes and a mirror
The 'Reight Neet Aht' display at Castleford Museum


Tuesday, September 17, 2024

A Reight Neet Aht: Castleford’s famous fundraiser

The Reight Neet Aht was a unique charity gala with a distinctly Yorkshire flavour that put Castleford on a global stage.

From 1936 to 1957, the star-studded annual marbles contest attracted famous faces and international media interest. 

Read on to discover how appearances from stage, screen and sporting stars brought the glitz and glamour to Cas.

Explore each event in more detail with our interactive timeline!

A group of ten young women wearing elegant evening dresses, all sat around a marble ring and ready to roll their marbles
Participants in the first All-Ladies Reight Neet Aht in 1955
Image courtesy of the Wakefield Council Libraries Photographic Collection

Knuckling off

Local journalist Sid Colclough started the Reight Neet Aht in 1936. Sid wrote a regular column inspired by the grumblings of a group of former miners known as the ‘Fed Ups’. One of the group joked about challenging councillors to a marbles match so Sid made it happen! He turned it into a charity fundraiser and added other games and entertainment for a full night out.

A worn white ribbon with the words 'Castleford's first Reight Neet Aht - 1936' on it, and a safety pin to attach it to your clothes
Souvenir ribbon from the first Reight Neet Aht in 1936

He held the event at the Cooperative Ballroom in Castleford. Guests were invited to come in their “glad-rags” and were treated to a packed programme. The marble contest “knuckled off” at 7:30pm. 

There were also contests in shuttlecock, skipping and whip and top, plus hours of dancing. 

Guests bought slices of a giant pie for supper and there were clay pipes for the gentlemen.

A white marble with blue patterns swirling across the surface
Marble used by 90-year-old William Furniss in the first Reight Neet Aht in 1936. William won the 1937 tournament.

Patrons and prizes

Over the years, Reight Neet Aht supported a number of local charities and good causes. Sid set himself a fundraising target of £50 for the first ever Neet Aht with the proceeds going to Leeds Infirmary.

Reight Neet Aht raised money through ticket sales and selling refreshments on the night. Reight Neet Aht often took place on Shrove Tuesday and organisers prepared piles of pancakes! 

Local companies and celebrity patrons also helped the fundraising by donating trophies, souvenirs and prizes for auction. 

Bagley's Glass in Knottingley made a special marble for the first competition in 1936:

A glass marble with 'Castleford, Reight Neet Aht, April 21st 1936' painted on it
Bagley's Glass special marble for the first Reight Neet Aht

They also supplied the trophy for the final event in 1957:

A large golden ceremonial marble on a black circular mount which is embossed with 'Reight Neet Aht - 1957'
The trophy for the 1957 Reight Neet Aht, also made by Bagley's Glass

Singer, actor and comedian, Gracie Fields, was a huge star in the 1930s. She never made it to Castleford but she was a key supporter of Reight Neet Aht, putting her name to the prizes and donating memorabilia. 

A matt grey-green marble with Gracie Field's signature on in gold
A special commemorative marble decorated with the signature of Reight Neet Aht's celebrity patron Gracie Fields

Star signings

Sid Colclough was the driving force behind the success of Reight Neet Aht. He had a flair for publicity and turned the event into a national occasion. 

Famous cameos added glitz and glamour. Newspapers, radio and even cinema newsreels reported from Castleford. 

George Formby preparing to roll a marble onto the board, watched by his wife Beryl and a crowd of well-dressed attendees
George Formby and his wife Beryl were the special guests at the 1940 Reight Neet Aht - the only wartime edition of the event.
Image courtesy of the Wakefield Council Libraries Photographic Collection

Star entertainer George Formby came to the 1940 Reight Neet Aht with his wife Beryl. The couple had met in Castleford. 

The George Formby Society have kindly lent this signed banjolele to Castleford Museum, where it is currently on display:

A well-loved banjolele, a type of small four-stringed instrument with the neck attached to a tambourine-style drum, signed by George Formby
A banjolele signed by George Formby, currently on display at Castleford Museum

George Formby also signed Reight Neet Aht’s special visitor book along with other famous faces.

This page is signed by lots of people from the world press. The guest book is kindly lent by Wakefield Council Libraries.

A lined guestbook open on a page featuring lots of signatures from members of the world press
A page in the Reight Neet Aht guestbook signed by members of the world press

Three photographers crouched by the marble ring taking photos as competitors play a marbles match
Photographers capture the action. Image courtesy of the Wakefield Council Libraries Photographic Collection

Councillor Ezra Taylor crouched down rolling a marble as a crowd watches on, and a camera operator films the marble action from close-up
A cameraman films as Councillor Ezra Taylor plays his match at the 1953 event. 
Image courtesy of the Wakefield Council Libraries Photographic Collection

Twists and turns

Sid kept interest high by adding a new twist to each year’s event. 

When the Reight Neet Aht restarted after the Second World War, each year had its own theme. 

One year was America vs Yorkshire with the U.S. Army playing in the marbles matches. Another year was an All-Ladies contest.

A long thin poster advertising the 1955 event, reading 'The world-famous Yorkshire Reight Neet Aht, established 1936. Annual Charity Ball and the World's First All Ladies Marbles tournament.  Lady Docker's Team versus Castleford Factory Girls.
Advertising poster for the 1955 All-Ladies Reight Neet Aht event. Image courtesy of the Wakefield Council Libraries Photographic Collection

Here, the 1956 zebra-striped Reight Neet Aht event is captured on canvas by H.J.S. Henson. The glamorous socialite Lady Docker is once again the star guest - she is pictured in the centre, in a white dress:

A painting of the 1956 Reight Neet Aht zebra-stripe themed event, with a large crowd watching on from the floor and balcony as Lady Docker plays marbles
H.J.S. Henson's painting of the 1956 A Reight Neet Aht. 
Image courtesy of the Wakefield Council Libraries Photographic Collection

Lady Docker in an elegant evening dress, holding aloft a large ceremonial marble, with an arm around Sid Colclough, who is dressed in black tie and smiling
Lady Docker with Reight Neet Aht's mastermind, Sid Colclough. Image courtesy of the Wakefield Council Libraries Photographic Collection

Interactive timeline

Explore our Timeline of the Tournaments to discover all of the themes, guests and highlights of the Reight Neet Aht events! You can view it below, or launch the timeline in a new window here


Castleford on the map

The last Reight Neet Aht took place in 1957. Sid invited a team of international students from Leeds University to play in the tournament as Yorkshire took on the world. 

It was a fitting final outing. For 20 years, Reight Neet Aht had put Castleford on the global map.

Three university students crouched around a marbles board decorated with a world map, ready to roll their marbles, as a crowd watches on
University of Leeds students played on special marble boards decorated with world maps at the 1957 Reight Neet Aht. 
Image courtesy of the Wakefield Council Libraries Photographic Collection

Nearly 70 years after the last Neet Aht, we're proud to celebrate this surprising local claim to fame. 

Visit Castleford Museum to uncover more of this fascinating, unexpected tale. 

You can even revive the spirit of the Reight Neet Aht with your own game of marbles. 

And we’d love you to leave us a message in our special replica guest book!

A museum display with a case containing commemorative marbles, George Formby's signed banjolele, a signed cricket bat and photos. There is a dressing up box and guest book to sign.
The Reight Neet Aht interactive display at Castleford Museum

Visitor information for Castleford Museum

The 1957 Reight Neet Aht trophy marble was one of our 100 Years of Collecting objects! Browse the 100 Years of Collecting online exhibition here.

Monday, August 12, 2024

Welcoming Pontefract: accessibility at Pontefract Museum

Following on from our blog about how accessibility matters at Wakefield Museum, let's have a look at how we make Pontefract Museum welcoming and accessible for all! 

The exterior of Pontefract Museum, an art nouveau building with arched entranceway, with floral planters either side of the entrance
Pontefract Museum, a beautiful art nouveau building built in the early 1900s

We believe strongly that making our visitor experience more accessible for one group of people makes it more accessible for everybody. 

We are constantly working to improve and enhance the accessibility of all of our sites, and working with local groups and experts by experience to do this.

Read on to explore just some of what we've done to make Pontefract Museum more welcoming and representative for all:

Audio description guides

David in uniform, wearing headphones and a PenFriend device on a lanyard around his neck, and carrying the audio guide booklet. He is smiling at the camera.
Our Visitor Experience Assistant David modelling the PenFriend audio description guide

We now have audio description guides for the main gallery at Pontefract Museum! These are designed with our blind and partially sighted visitors in mind but are free to be used by anybody.

We have built a strong working relationship with our local Sight Loss Council members to inform these and future resources.

The audio descriptions are accessed using one of our PenFriend devices. You tap the coloured stickers in a handheld booklet. The PenFriend then reads aloud the description. They can also be used with headphones.

The audio description guide describes and provides more information about a range of star objects on display. It also guides you around the main gallery space.

Our Visitor Experience Assistant John holding a PenFriend device and going tapping a large yellow square sticker in the audio guide booklet.
Tap the stickers in the booklet, and the PenFriend will describe what's on display

Relaxed openings

Two adults and a teenager reading information panels about liquorice at Pontefract Museum

Every Tuesday from 2pm to 4pm at Pontefract Museum is a relaxed opening session. You can explore the Museum in a quieter, more relaxed setting.

Everybody is welcome! And you are welcome to be your full self.

Any loud noises from videos and interactives are turned down or turned off. Lighting levels are kept low and consistent. This all works to reduce sensory overload and generate a relaxed atmosphere.

There is also a pop-up tent quiet space for anyone who needs it. 

We don't book groups during this session to help keep the museum quieter.

Pick and Mix station

Two children and an adult exploring the objects in the Pick and Mix station, which is a green unit with four drawers and two shelves.
A family exploring the Pick and Mix station

We have Pick and Mix stations at all three of our museums. They are full of beautiful tactile tools and resources to support our visitors to get the most out of their visit.

The 'Explore' drawer contains a variety of things to explore our displays in lots of different ways. These include tools to match different shapes, colours, materials and sounds to our objects.

The 'Touch' drawer has a range of fun colourful fidget toys. Perfect if keeping your hands busy helps you to stay calm or to concentrate!

A child grinning and holding a magnifying glass, with her arm around another child wearing ear defenders and holding a squishy fidget toy

The 'See' drawer is full of different lenses, magnifying glasses and frames. These can help you to look at our objects in another way, and support dyslexic and partially sighted people to change the colour contrast.

The 'Sound' drawer has a number of ear defenders available in child and adult sizes. These are great for visitors who are sensitive to loud or sudden noises. 

You can also fill up one of our backpacks with a range of items for easy carrying around the galleries!

Makaton signage

The Makaton sign for 'market stall' next to our play market stall, stocked with lots of fake fruit and veg

Makaton is a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate.

We have Makaton signage next to star objects and interactives around the museum, showing you how to sign that word. 

Most of our Visitor Experience Assistance have had Makaton Awareness training, and we are busy arranging training sessions for our lovely new starters!

Sensory maps and visual stories

The sensory map for the Ladies who Launch exhibition, showing where different sensory elements are around the space

We have lots of opportunities to use your senses around the museum. We also know it helps some visitors to know what to expect, and where to expect it, to avoid sensory overload.

Our sensory maps are available to view online before your visit, and to carry with you around the galleries once you're here. 

Tactile objects in the main gallery and our temporary exhibition, Ladies Who Launch, help you to get hands-on with history by touching real-life historical objects. 

There’s also lots of dressing-up to do and our squidgy, colourful Liquorice Allsorts soft play in the main gallery!

Our smell cubes in the Ladies Who Launch exhibition contain smells that bring the past to life, like leather, a flower shop, and an old 'smithy'!

Two children holding sensory cubes and giving them a good sniff

We also have a visual story for the main gallery available on our Access page to browse before your visit.

Easy Read guide

Easy Read symbols, showing a person smiling, giving a thumbs up and holding a booklet that says 'easy read', and a book with the word 'information' on it
Image copyright of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

We now have an Easy Read guide for the main gallery at Pontefract Museum

Easy read information is presented in a certain way to help people understand information more easily. Photos and illustrations help to explain the information provided.

It is especially useful for learning disabled people and people with low reading ages. It is also helpful for people for whom English is a second language. It can be used by anyone who wants bite-sized information about the museum's main themes.

Telling everyone's stories

We tell a wide range of local people's stories and experiences in our museum and exhibition programme. We are always looking to use our platform to showcase the stories that are sometimes missing from 'traditional' museum and gallery spaces. 

We have worked closely with local people to help them tell their own stories through different mediums.

Here's a snapshot of two recent co-produced exhibitions: 

Fern Woodhead: Boxed In (From Whence You Came)

Fern stood next to their finished exhibition, which contains their artwork, chest binder, Grayson's Art Club exhibition catalogue and their crocheted Lesbian Pride flag
Fern with their finished exhibition at Pontefract Museum

In 2022 Pontefract teen Fern Woodhead featured on the Channel 4 TV show 'Grayson’s Art Club', presented by Grayson Perry. Fern submitted an artwork to the show in response to the theme ‘Inside my head.’

Wakefield Museums & Castles commissioned Fern to produce a new piece about their gender identity for display at Pontefract Museum.

'Boxed In (From Whence You Came)' explores Fern’s feelings about “being a queer person in an inherently non-queer society”. We worked with Fern to install their artwork in the foyer space at Pontefract Museum, and they have also kindly lent some objects from their gender identity journey for the display. 

Fern hopes that the exhibition will raise awareness and start conversations around sexuality and gender identity. As Fern says, "all of us have an identity, so why shouldn’t we talk about it?"


Fern’s artwork will be on display in the museum until November 2024. We're delighted to have acquired the artwork for our permanent collection.


Ladies who Launch: Celebrating Pontefract's Women in Business

An adult holding part of the hi-ves Yonder Events vest their child is wearing, to make the logo stand out
Kitting out the potential events organisers of the future in Ladies who Launch

Our current temporary exhibition at Pontefract Museum is a celebration of Pontefract’s businesswomen. 

We worked with four sets of local female entrepreneurs to share their stories of launching and running successful businesses in our area. 

The exhibition challenges some of our preconceptions about business owners, both in the Victorian period and today. 

Read more about Ladies who Launch: Celebrating Pontefract's Women in Business

Access information for Pontefract Museum

We always welcome feedback on how we can make our sites more accessible! You can drop us an email at museumslearning@wakefield.gov.uk


We look forward to seeing you soon!

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Accessibility matters at Wakefield Museum

Wakefield Museum has been shortlisted in two categories in the 2024 Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum award!

The museum has been shortlisted in the categories of Best Accessible Museum and Best Museum Youth Group. 

It is the only museum to have been shortlisted in more than one category!

A modern square building with lots of windows and a flat roof. The large windowed area next to the entrance has the names of different places in the Wakefield district on it
The entrance to the Wakefield One building, which houses Wakefield Museum

Charity Kids in Museums has run the prestigious annual award since 2004, recognising the most family-friendly heritage sites in the UK. 

From late March to early June, families and museums across the UK could vote for their favourite heritage attraction on the Kids in Museums website. 

A panel of museum experts then whittled down hundreds of nominations to a shortlist of 19 heritage attractions.

We get to find out if we've won at the awards ceremony in October.

You can learn about our Youth Group, the 'Wakefield: Where We Are...' project here. This has now evolved into our new Youth Forum for Wakefield Museums and Castles. 

Read on to explore just some of what we've done to make Wakefield Museum more accessible for all:

Relaxed openings

A young adult visitor grinning and touching a piece of checked fabric that is pinned to the wall as part of the Seeing Double exhibition
A visitor interacting with a touch element in the new Seeing Double exhibition

Every Thursday from 4pm to 6.30pm at Wakefield Museum is a relaxed opening session. Visitors can explore the Museum in a quieter, more relaxed setting.

Everybody is welcome! And everybody is welcome to be their full selves.

Any loud noises from videos and interactives are turned down or turned off. Lighting levels are kept low and consistent. This all works to reduce sensory overload and generate a relaxed atmosphere.

There is also a pop-up tent quiet space for anyone who needs it. We don't book groups during this session to help keep the museum quieter.

Pick and Mix station

A storage unit with four different coloured drawers in pastel colours, with the words Explore, See, Touch and Sound on. There are also two backpacks above the unit.
The Pick and Mix station at Wakefield Museum

We have Pick and Mix stations at all three of our museums. They are full of beautiful tactile tools and resources to support our visitors to get the most out of their visit.

The 'Explore' drawer contains a variety of things to explore our displays in lots of different ways. 
These include tools to match different shapes, colours, materials and sounds to our objects.

The 'Touch' drawer has a range of fun colourful fidget toys. Perfect if keeping your hands busy helps you to stay calm or to concentrate!

The 'See' drawer is full of different lenses, magnifying glasses and frames. These can help you to look at our objects in another way, and support dyslexic and partially sighted people to change the colour contrast.

Nat in uniform holding two wooden squares, one with a blue lens and one with a yellow lens, to look at displays through different coloured panes
Our Visitor Experience Assistant Nat with two small coloured panels from the 'See' drawer

The 'Sound' drawer has a number of ear defenders available in child and adult sizes. These are great for visitors who are sensitive to loud or sudden noises. 

You can also fill up one of our backpacks with a range of items for easy carrying around the galleries!

Makaton

A panel with the Makaton sign for 'ring' below a small square display case showcasing the gold medieval Sandal Castle ring
The Makaton sign for 'ring' and the Sandal Castle ring on display

Makaton is a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate.

We have Makaton signage next to star objects around the museum, showing you how to sign that word. 

Most of our Visitor Experience Assistance have had Makaton Awareness training, and we are busy arranging training sessions for our lovely new starters!

Our yearly SEND Christmas event is visited by a Makaton Aware Father Christmas too.

Sensory maps and visual stories

A matte laminated map showing where sensory elements are in the Seeing Double exhibition, being held in front of the entrance to the gallery
The sensory map for the Seeing Double temporary exhibition

We have sensory maps for our temporary exhibition gallery and the main permanent gallery

They show you where audio, visual and hands-on elements are in the space. They also show where seating is available, and any other things like mirrors that may cause sensory overload for visitors.

We also have a visual story for the main museum. This explains what a visit to the museum is like and shows you what is here before you visit. Visual stories are particularly helpful for autistic people and people with anxiety, or anyone who likes to know what to expect when visiting a new place.

Easy Read guide

An A4 booklet in a binder open on a double-page spread providing information about what is on display at Wakefield Museum
The Easy Read guide at Wakefield Museum

We now have an Easy Read guide for the main gallery at Wakefield Museum. 

Easy read information is presented in a certain way to help people understand information more easily. Photos and illustrations help to explain the information provided.

It is especially useful for learning disabled people and people with low reading ages. It is also helpful for people for whom English is a second language. It can be used by anyone who wants bite-sized information about the museum's main themes.

Hidden Disabilities awareness

A green square vinyl sticker with a bright yellow sunflower on the door of Wakefield Museum, with the words 'proud to support the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme' on it

We are aware that not all disabilities or access needs are easily identifiable. We also know some of our visitors may prefer to be discreet about their needs and requirements.

We are proud to support the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme. The scheme helps us to increase our understanding and awareness of hidden disabilities.

Our staff wearing a Sunflower scheme badge can be approached to offer support if needed.  

Home Education programme

Two young visitors looking at a large crocodile skull resting on a table
Two young visitors looking at a crocodile skull in the Wakefield Museum Learning Zone

We know mainstream schooling isn't for everyone, for lots of different reasons. At Wakefield Museum and Pontefract Castle we have an exciting and varied Home Education programme that runs during term-time. 

These popular sessions provide home educating families and groups with hands-on experiences exploring the many things our collections can teach us. 

Our Home Education sessions have been developed in consultation with regular users. We have learned not to make assumptions about what they need. We develop extra activities for those who need it, when they need it.

Our main programme is aimed at ages 6 to 11. As our regular home educated children are getting older, we are working with them and their families to develop sessions for ages 12+ as well.


Three painted blocks of clay - one with a green beetle on it, one that is circular and painted in green, yellow and grey, and one that has been shaped to look like a beetle and painted.
Some Egyptian-inspired amulets made at a Home Education session

Relaxed and SEND activity sessions

A young child and their grown-up watching as Tracey shows a pre-made wooden spoon puppet. There are lots of crafting materials on the table, and a Christmas tree to the right of the picture.
Our Casual Learning Enabler Tracey demonstrating crafts to visitors at our SEND Christmas event

Throughout the year we have a range of relaxed and SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) activity sessions for our family and adult visitors. 

Every year we have a dedicated SEND Christmas event, with reduced numbers, a relaxed atmosphere and a wide range of festive multisensory crafts and activities. Our Father Christmas is Makaton aware and great at communicating with visitors with a range of communication styles.

Our SEND sessions of our school holiday activities are designed to offer the same or similar experiences to the main programme, in a relaxed atmosphere. They are bookable to help us keep the number of attendees low and give everybody more space. 

We also have relaxed sessions for under 5s this summer at Wakefield Museum, for toddlers and adults alike who prefer a more chilled time together! 

We have also been celebrating Learning Disability Week each year across our sites, with a range of relaxed object handling and crafts sessions for learning disabled adults and their family and friends.

Polish translation for temporary exhibition

An A4 booklet open showing Polish translation of the Seeing Double exhibition, with the exhibition in the background.
The Polish translation booklet for the Seeing Double exhibition

We have a Polish translation of the information panels in our new Seeing Double: The story of Double Two shirts exhibition.

Polish is the second most widely spoken language in the Wakefield district. We're delighted to make our new exhibition more accessible for our local Polish community.

Access information for Wakefield Museum

We believe strongly that making our visitor experience more accessible for one group of people makes it more accessible for everybody. We are constantly working to improve and enhance the accessibility of all of our sites, and working with local groups and experts by experience to do this.

We always welcome feedback on how we can make our sites more accessible!