Images of Wakefield

Did you know that Wakefield has attracted artists for centuries due to the beauty of the Chantry Chapel and because it has one of the most distinctive and attractive skylines in the region?

Wakefield Museum’s first temporary exhibition at Wakefield One, the newest addition to the city’s urban landscape, is a celebration of artists’ views of the city and features a collection of paintings, prints and sketches illustrating how it has changed over the last 250 years.

Buck, Samuel  (1696-1779) The South Prospect of the Ruins of Sandal  Castle and Town of Wakefield, 1722.  Engraving on Paper

The earliest image on view is a panoramic vista of Wakefield from the south and was probably done in the 1670s or 1680s. It records Wakefield as it looked at that time with the spire of the church of All Saints (later Wakefield Cathedral) and the Chantry Chapel dominating the scene. However, other views in the exhibition look at specific areas of the city which have changed more recently. For some local people these will no doubt prompt a sense of nostalgia for buildings and places that are now just a memory.



Jones,  FC, View of the Springs, 1945.

The exhibition is collaboration with The Hepworth Wakefield and will be display until 2nd February 2013.