Accessibility matters at Wakefield Museum

Wakefield Museum has been shortlisted for two 2024 Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum awards!

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!

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 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

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.

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

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

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.

Both the sensory maps and the visual story are available to download in advance from our Access page.

Easy Read guide

Image copyright of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

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

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 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.

Our Home Education sessions are bookable on our Ticketsource page. We also have a dedicated Home Education e-newsletter. 

Some Egyptian-inspired amulets made at a Home Education session

Relaxed and SEND activity sessions

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

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!

You can find full access information for Wakefield Museum on our webpage. 

Stitching Friendships

Stitching Friendships is a new display in Wakefield Museum. It was created with the Refugee Council.

It showcases the work of the Refugee Council’s sewing and embroidery group in Wakefield.

The Stitching Friendships display in Wakefield Museum

The group was set up in 2023. It aimed to create a safe environment for women to discover and develop their talents. 

Many of the women came from different countries and spoke different languages. Despite this, they were able to share practical skills with each other. 

The women in the group are from Sudan, Afghanistan, and Eritrea. They were forced to leave their homes because of violence, conflict, and persecution. They moved to a new and unknown country under difficult circumstances. The sewing group allowed them to make friends and practice their English.  

As well as their work, the women shared their stories of leaving their home countries and moving to Wakefield. They shared these stories via a translator.

Read on to discover their stories in English, Arabic and Dari. 

Content warning: Contains stories referring to racism, war and conflict.

Abeer

Abeer’s work: Abeer created an embroidery inspired by the nature of Sudan. It features birds, flowers and trees. The embroidery brings back memories for Abeer of her home country and family trips to the river. They would have a picnic, drink Arabic coffee, sing and dance. 

Abeer’s story: Abeer was born in Sudan. Civil war in Sudan has resulted in serious attacks and abuses on civilians, and led to mass displacement. Abeer was forced to leave her home and move to Egypt, where she stayed for five years. She experienced racism, bullying and health issues in Egypt, so she moved to the UK in 2021.
 

عبير

ولدت عبير في السودان. لقد أُجبرت على ترك منزلها والانتقال إلى مصر حيث بقيت لمدة خمس سنوات. عانت من العنصرية ومشاكل صحية في مصر، لذا انتقلت إلى المملكة المتحدة في عام ٢٠٢١.

قطعة عبير مستوحاة من طبيعة السودان وتعيد ذكريات الرحلات العائلية إلى النهر، حيث كانوا يقومون بنزهة ويشربون القهوة العربية ويغنون ويرقصون.

عبیر

عبیردر سودان به دنیا آمد. او مجبور شد خانه خود را ترک کند و به مصر نقل مکان کند و پنج سال در آنجا بماند. او در مصر از مسائل تبعیض نژادی و نبود خدمات صحی رنج می برد، بنابراین در سال ۲۰۲۱ به بریتانیا نقل مکان کرد.

کارساخته عبیراز طبیعت سودان الهام گرفته شده است که خاطرات رفت و آمدهای خانوادگی به کنار دریا را یادآورمی شود، جایی که آنها برای میله فامیلی میرفتند,  قهوه عربی می نوشیدند، , آواز می خواندند و می رقصیدند

 

Gulchehra

Gulchehra’s work: Gulchehra chose to make a patchwork cover. She wanted to rescue the pieces of fabric that no one else wanted and turn them into something new.

Gulchehra’s story: Gulchehra was born in Afghanistan. The country has experienced more than 40 years of conflict, natural disasters, and poverty. In 2021, the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul increased the violence and suffering. Gulchehra was forced to flee her home. She hid in a secret location in Kabul before coming to the UK. She still has family in Afghanistan. Gulchehra has found it difficult to make friends in Wakefield because there are few Afghan families. Sometimes she feels lost here.

Gulchehra joined the sewing group to meet new people. She has made two good friends.

جولتشيهرا

ولدت جولتشيهرا في أفغانستان. أُجبرت على الفرار من منزلها، واختبأت في مكان سري في مدينة كابول قبل القدوم إلى المملكة المتحدة. لقد كافحت لتكوين صداقات في مدينة ويكفيلد بسبب قلة عدد العائلات الأفغانية.

انضمت جولتشيهرا إلى مجموعة الخياطة للقاء أشخاص جدد. لقد اختارت إنقاذ قطع القماش التي لم يرغب بها أحد وتحويلها إلى قطعة مرقعة.

گلچهره

گلچهره در افغانستان بدنیا آمد. او که مجبور به فراراز خانه اش شد، قبل از آمدن به بریتانیا در یک مکان مخفی در کابل پنهان بود. او برای یافتن یک دوست در منطقه ویکفیلد تلاش کرد اما موفق نشد زیرا تعداد کمی از خانواده های افغان در آنجا وجود زندگی میکنند.

گلچهره به گروپ خیاطی پیوست به این امید که با خانم های جدید آشنا شود. او تصمیم گرفت توته های تکه های را که هیچ کس دیگری کارنداشت و استفاده نمیکرد دوباره استفاده کند و ازآنها یک تکه وصله کاری یا به اصطلاح یک پارچه پینه دوزی درست کند.

Halima

Halima’s work: Halima loves sewing. She made a pair of velvet trousers because she likes to wear trousers under her clothes to keep warm and covered. She told us the fabric is perfect because it’s not too hot and not too cold.

Halima’s story: Halima was born in Eritrea. Many people consider the country to have one of the world’s most repressive governments. It has harsh military conscription, political imprisonment, and widespread torture and abuse. Halima was forced to leave Eritrea and move to Egypt, where she lived for six years. She was then brought to the UK by the United Nations because her son needed medical treatment. She arrived here in March 2023.

Halima joined the group to learn new skills and socialise. It offered her an opportunity to gather together with other women. She told us that all of the women in the group have become her friends.

حليمة

ولدت حليمة في إريتريا. غادرت إريتريا وانتقلت إلى مصر، قبل أن تحضرها الأمم المتحدة إلى المملكة المتحدة لأن ابنها كان بحاجة إلى علاج طبي.

حليمة تحب الخياطة كثيرا. انضمت إلى المجموعة لتعلم مهارات جديدة والتواصل الاجتماعي. لقد صنعت بنطلون مخملي لأنها تحب ارتداء البنطلون تحت ملابسها للتدفئة والتغطية.

حلیمه

حلیمه در اریتریا بدنیا آمد. او کشورش اریتریا را ترک کرد و به مصر نقل مکان کرد، قبل از اینکه توسط سازمان ملل متحد به بریتانیا آورده شود زیرا پسرش به تداوی نیاز داشت.

حلیمه عاشق خیاطی است. او برای یادگیری مهارت های جدید و اجتماعی شدن به این گروپ پیوست.  وی برای خود یک پطلون بخملی دوخت تا زیر لباسهایش بپوشد و گرم باشد.   

Nazia

Nazia’s work: Nazia chose to make a dress because she has lots of experience making dresses. Nazia is a skilled sewer and she wanted to help others learn to sew.

Nazia’s story: Nazia was born in Afghanistan. The country has experienced more than 40 years of conflict, natural disasters, and poverty. In 2021, the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul increased the violence and suffering. Nazia moved to the UK because her husband is a British citizen. Although it was difficult to leave her home, she is happy that her children are now safe.

Nazia joined the sewing group because she wanted to get out of the house and meet new people. All of the women in the group have become her friends.

نازيا

ولدت نازيا في أفغانستان وبعد سقوط الحكومة انتقلت إلى المملكة المتحدة لأن زوجها مواطن بريطاني. وعلى الرغم من أن كان من الصعوبة مغادرة منزلها، إلا أنها سعيدة لأن أطفالها أصبحوا الآن آمنين.

نازيا خياطة ماهرة وأرادت مساعدة الآخرين على تعلم الخياطة. أرادت أيضًا الخروج من المنزل والتعرف على أشخاص جدد. أصبحت جميع النساء في المجموعة صديقاتها.

نازیه

نازیه در افغانستان متولد شد. پس از سقوط دولت، او به بریتانیا نقل مکان کرد زیرا شوهرش شهروند بریتانیا است. اگرچه خروج از خانه و وطن برایش دشوار بود، اما او خوشحال است که فرزندانش اکنون اینجا درامنیت هستند.

نازیه یک خیاط ماهر است و به دیگران هم کمک کرد تا خیاطی را یاد بگیرند. او همچنین می خواست از خانه بیرون بیاید و با افراد جدیدی آشنا شود. همه زنان گروپ دوست او شده اند.

Zinab

Zinab’s work: Zinab chose to make a patchwork pillow, using lots of different fabrics and colours. She loves the colour green so she wanted to include some green fabric.

Zinab’s story: Zinab was born in Sudan. Civil war in Sudan has resulted in serious attacks and abuses on civilians and led to mass displacement. Zinab was forced to leave her home in 2014 and she lived in Egypt for nine years, before moving to the UK. She likes living in Wakefield because her children are happy and safe.

Zinab worked as a seamstress in Egypt for three years, so she wanted to share her skills. She also wanted to socialise and find a way to let some of her negative feelings out. She would feel excited all week before the sewing workshops on a Thursday.

زينب

ولدت زينب في السودان وأجبرت على مغادرة منزلها عام ٢٠١٤ وعاشت في مصر لمدة تسع سنوات قبل أن تنتقل إلى المملكة المتحدة. تحب العيش في مدينة ويكفيلد لأن أطفالها سعداء وآمنون.

عملت زينب كخياطة في مصر لمدة ثلاث سنوات فأرادت مشاركة مهاراتها مع المجموعة. شعرت زينب بالحماسة طوال الأسبوع قبل جلسات يوم الخميس.

زینب

زینب در سودان به دنیا آمد. او در سال ۲۰۱۴  مجبور شد کشوروخانه اشرا را ترک کند و به مدت ۹ سال در مصر زندگی کرد و سپس به بریتانیا آمد. او زندگی در ویکفیلد را دوست دارد زیرا فرزندانش شاد و امن هستند .

زینب به مدت سه سال در مصر به عنوان خیاط کار کرد، بنابراین می خواست مهارت های خود را به اشتراک بگذارد. او تمام هفته چشم براه روز پنج شنبه میباشد که به گروپ بیاید. 

You can see the Stitching Friendships display in Wakefield Museum until April 2025. The display has interpretation in English, Arabic and Dari.

Robert Waterton of Pontefract Castle

You’ve probably heard of Charles Waterton of Walton Hall. But have you heard of Pontefract Castle’s 14th century Robert Waterton?

Charles Waterton

Most people in the district will associate the name Waterton with Charles Waterton of Walton Hall.  Waterton was a naturalist, plantation manager and explorer. 

He’s best known for his conservation work, building the world’s first nature reserve at Walton Hall in the 1820s. This was the subject of our A World of Good exhibition in 2021 - 2022.

Charles Waterton painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1824. On display at the National Portrait Gallery.

But there were many more Watertons before Charles. The Watertons can trace back their ancestry for hundreds of years in the Wakefield area. 

Introducing: Robert Waterton, one of Charles Waterton's historically important ancestors.

Robert Waterton (1360 - 1425)

Robert Waterton was appointed to the post of Master Forester of Pontefract Castle in 1391.  He also served in the household of Henry Bolingbroke. 

In 1391 Pontefract Castle was a Lancastrian castle owned by John of Gaunt, Henry Bolingbroke’s father. Upon John’s death and the confiscation of the castle by Richard II, Robert Waterton remained loyal to Bolingbroke. 

He became Constable and Steward of Pontefract Castle. Waterton was later also appointed Master of the King’s Horses in 1399 when Bolingbroke returned from his banishment. Henry Bolingbroke became King Henry IV and took back all the possessions Richard II had confiscated from him.

 

Illuminated initial letter showing Henry IV from the records of the Duchy of Lancaster (Wikimedia Commons)

The new king needed to be sure that Richard II was kept safe and securely out of the way. 

Where better to send him, then, than to Pontefract Castle and his long-term supporter Robert Waterton?

Whilst staunchly loyal to Henry, Waterton was no fool. He gave up his own lodgings at the castle to accommodate the deposed Richard. He didn’t want to lock him in a dark cell somewhere just in case Richard returned to the throne..!

Richard II, probably painted between 1385 and 1390. (Wikimedia Commons)

 

Richard II died at Pontefract Castle on 14 February 1400. Waterton was called to parliament to give evidence attesting to his death. He is also mentioned in William Shakespeare's 'Richard II'.

Later Watertons of Pontefract Castle

In later years, Pontefract Castle was responsible for many other famous prisoners. These included Charles Duc of Orleans.

The Waterton family continued to enjoy royal backing under Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI. They racked up a prestigious list of titles up until the reign of Henry VIII.

When Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church in the 1530s, the head of the Waterton family (another Robert) stayed true to his Catholic faith.

Henry VIII was so enraged with Robert. He wrote to him stating: “Waterton, I will take thy estate, but I will save thy life. Henry Rex”. The Watertons lost much of their land and money.

Despite this, the Watertons remained Catholic right through to Charles Waterton. Charles was widely known as a keen supporter of the Catholic faith. 

Want to discover more about the history of Pontefract Castle? View our interactive painting!

D-Day 80 Display

Malcom Patterson, Chairman of the Horbury, Sitlington and Ossett branch of the Royal British Legion, contacted us to ask if we could help with a special display to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. 

The display, featuring objects loaned by Gavin Cave, will be in the shop window of Grooms Rooms Menswear in Horbury from 1 to 17 June 2024.

The D-Day display in Grooms Rooms Menswear

D-Day display

D-Day was on June 6, 1944. It involved the simultaneous landing of tens of thousands of troops on five separate beaches in Normandy. 

It was the largest military naval, air and land operation ever attempted. It marked the start of the campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied north-west Europe.

Local collector, Gavin Cave, has worked with the Wakefield Museums and Castles team to create a display of some of his collection. 

This includes the uniform of a ‘typical’ British soldier and sailor landing on the Normandy beaches on D-Day, and the uniform of a dispatch rider. Dispatch riders were one of the many specialist troops involved in supporting the landings.

Gavin has said that he’s really enjoyed the opportunity to display some of his collection, though some of it has been a bit of a project to get it ready for display!

The D-Day uniforms 

The uniforms are all original, possibly unissued items.

The 'typical’ uniform includes a MkII steel helmet, which has a net attached to afford camouflage and concealment. The steel dispatch rider helmet is designed to also give protection whilst riding a motorcycle.

Gavin holding the two helmets - the dispatch rider helmet is on the left, and the 'typical' one on the right.

The clothing is different too. 

The ‘typical’ soldier and sailor wears a woollen battledress jacket (late 1940 austerity pattern) and battledress trousers (1939 pattern). The trousers are much higher waisted than modern trousers, in keeping with the fashion of the day. They also had the added advantage of keeping the lower back warm! 

He also wears 1937 pattern webbing. This has two ammo pouches at the front, large enough to take the magazines for a Bren gun.

The 'typical' soldier / sailor uniform, ready for display

He carries a water bottle, entrenching tool and his small pack. This would contain his 24-hour rations. He also had a waterproof cape, jumper, mug, mess tins and spare socks. On his feet he wears regulation ammunition boots.

The dispatch rider wears a rubberised coat over his battledress jacket. The coat straps over the legs of his jodhpur-like trousers, allowing for easy riding.

The dispatch rider's uniform, with coat opened to show the jodphur-like trousers

A pair of dispatch rider boots (bought and worn by Gavin's wife in the ‘90s!) were in particularly poor condition. They have been painstakingly restored to prevent further deterioration of the leather. Many layers of polish had to be removed, so that the leather could be conditioned and consolidated.

The dispatch rider boots, now restored

June 6, 1944 – A Big Day (for other reasons!)

Irene Winifred Cheshire was born in Horbury in 1924. During the Second World War, she was a ‘Private’ (cook) in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (A.T.S.), stationed at Pontefract barracks.

Here she met Harry Patterson. Harry was born in Co. Durham in 1914. He had joined The Green Howards before switching to become a ‘Private’ (cook) in the Army Catering Corps (A.C.C.) on its formation. He was then sent to Pontefract.

Harry and Irene were granted Special Leave to get married on June 6, 1944. The wedding took place at St. Peter & St. Leonards church in Horbury.

Operation Neptune (the D-Day landings) was top secret. The couple will have been unaware that their wedding was to be on the same day as the largest military naval, air and land operation ever attempted!

Horbury’s role in WW2

Many British manufacturers switched to producing equipment to help the war effort. This included Sykes of Horbury, the famous local sports manufacturers. 

By the Second World War, Sykes employed a thousand local people. As they had in the First World War, the Sykes workers produced an array of equipment for the Second World War. 

Workers making rifle furniture at Sykes' Albion Mill in the Second World War

These ranged from bayonets and ammunition boxes to sand goggles and snow shoes - made using the same techniques as their tennis rackets!

A Sykes' Second World War snow shoe, made using their steam bending tennis racket technique.

Find out more about Sykes' role in the First and Second World Wars in this blog.

Other local people were also involved in the war effort leading up to the D-Day landings. 

Find out about the role of George Kellett and Peggy Taylor in this blog.

With thanks to the Royal British Legion for their support with this display.

100 Years of Collecting - Facebookers' favourite objects

We've loved seeing how much you have enjoyed our 100 Years of Collecting digital content over the past year!

As we bring our centenary celebrations to a close, we asked our Facebook followers to vote on their favourite of the 100 objects in the online exhibition.

Here's a spotlight on the objects you chose to round things up! The 100 Years of Collecting online exhibition will continue to stay live here on our blog.

Please note: one of the objects described in this article refers to the transatlantic slave trade, which uses an outdated historical term.

Madam Connie's wig

Madam Connie's wig as it was on display in the Moving Stories exhibition

Made in: the 2010s

Collected in: 2019

Associated place: Wakefield

Steven Ogilvie wore this wig as his fabulous drag queen persona, Madam Connie, at performances in Wakefield.

Steven donated the wig to the museum in 2019 along with other outfits after Madam Connie hung her up stilettos for the last time. Steven also recorded an oral history about his experiences performing as Connie. He says performing increased his confidence and helped him through difficult times.

We loved including the wig in our recent Moving Stories exhibition! It's now taking a well-earned rest back at our Museum Store.

It was Madam Connie's friends and followers that got her wig well and truly voted onto this favourites list!

You can read more about Madam Connie's story here.

Sandal Castle ring

The Sandal Castle ring, which is on display at Wakefield Museum

Made in: between 1485 and 1600

Collected in: 1983

Associated place: Sandal / Sandal Castle

This beautiful gold ring was found by archaeologists at Sandal Castle during excavations in the 1960s. It is about 500 years old.

It is called a 'love ring' because it has a lovers’ promise on it. 

The wording on this one says ‘tout le vos’tre’, which means ‘I am all yours’ in medieval French (the language of the upper classes in the Middle Ages). 

It's one of our star objects in the permanent Wakefield Stories display at Wakefield Museum. 

It's perhaps unsurprising that such a beautiful and heartfelt object scored so highly with our Facebook followers!

Britain's oldest post box

Britain's oldest postbox - on display at Wakefield Museum

Made in: 1809

Collected in: 1964

Associated place: Wakefield

Wakefield Museum has some quietly important objects such as this post box, the oldest in Britain! 

It was installed in Wakefield Post Office on Wood Street in 1809 and predates the Victorian Penny Post by 30 years.

Our objects and sites aren't just special because of their history. One Facebook user voted for the post box because "it reminds me of one of my delightful friends I made through the museum"! 

Another said "I'm voting for the post box because they used to be every day street furniture but now... they are little windows into our history."

Ballot Box 

One of the ballot boxes used in Britain's first ever secret ballot in 1872 - on display at Pontefract Museum

Made in: 1870s

Collected in: 1978

Associated place: Pontefract

From one groundbreaking box - to another!

On the 15 August 1872, the first ever secret ballot in Britain to elect an MP was held in Pontefract. 

This was the first time that people had voted in secret by placing an ‘X’ on a ballot paper next to the name of their choice. 

Before this, people voted openly and could be easily pressured and bullied. 

The ballot box was sealed with a liquorice stamp made from Frank Dunhill's factory to ensure it wasn't tampered with. There are still remnants of this seal on our box, which you can see on display at Pontefract Museum.

At this time, only men over the age of 21 who owned property could vote. Women couldn't vote until 1928, and the voting age was lowered to 18 only in 1969. 

It's a piece of national political history of which Pomfretians are rightly very proud!

Nymph Stone

The 'nymph stone' on display at Castleford Museum

Made in: Roman era

Collected in: 1990s

Associated place: Castleford

This carving of two female heads is dedicated ‘to the Nymphs’, nature spirits usually linked to springs and running water. 

Dedications to nymphs are often found near military sites like the Roman fort at Castleford. 

The fort at Castleford was known as 'Lagentium' to the Romans.

One Facebooker said they chose it because "this kind of artefact always benefits from re- examination and interpretation as time passes and knowledge expands".

What a brilliant sentiment about this special object! It's on display at Castleford Museum with lots of other ancient objects worthy of a closer look.

Anti-slavery lecture poster

A poster promoting W. Howard Day's anti-slavery lecture in 1860, on display at Wakefield Museum

Made in: 1860

Collected in: 1923

Associated place: Wakefield

This poster advertises a lecture given by William Howard Day from 'Canada West' in the Music Saloon on Wood Street in Wakefield in December 1860. 

The lecture took place at an important moment in the story of slavery, just a few months before the start of the American Civil War, a conflict based on the continued ownership and abuse of enslaved people by the plantation owners of the Southern States of America.

Several celebrated abolitionists such as Day visited this country and resonated with the working people in the North of England. 

Many towns like Wakefield had an active abolitionist campaign movement and invited speakers to venues such as the Music Saloon on Wood Street and the Corn Exchange on Westgate.

One Facebook user said they were voting for this because it is "an important part of the empathetic community spirit of the Wakefield district". Lovely words indeed.

It's also one of the earliest objects added to our collection, as it was collected in 1923!

Battle of Wakefield iron spearhead

An iron spearhead dating to The Battle of Wakefield in 1460 - on display at Wakefield Museum

Made in: 15th Century

Collected in: 1959

Associated place: Sandal / Sandal Castle

This iron spearhead dates to the time of the Battle of Wakefield in 1460. The Battle was a major clash in the Wars of the Roses. 

Richard, Duke of York, leader of the Yorkist faction and his eldest son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, were both killed along with hundreds or even thousands of their supporters. 

It is this event that likely lead to the rhyme 'Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain', to remember the order of colours in a rainbow.

This spear head was found in the Portobello estate, the site of the battle, and was probably used by an infantryman at the battle.

You can find out more about the Battle of Wakefield in our comic!

Pontefract Castle Keirincx painting

Pontefract Castle painted by Alexander Keirincx in the 1640s - on display at Pontefract Museum

Made in: 1640s

Collected in: 1965

Associated place: Pontefract

This is a large oil painting of Pontefract Castle as it was in about 1640. 

It was painted by the Flemish landscape painter Alexander Keirincx, at the request of Charles I. It shows what a grand site it was, and much larger than the standing remains today might suggest.  

You can explore an interactive version of the Pontefract Castle painting here!

Shared with thanks to The Hepworth Wakefield.

Thanks to everyone who voted! You can continue to explore the 100 objects in our online exhibition. 

Post a comment with what you think we should include in the next 100 objects we collect!