Wakefield Museums and Castles: Virtual Pontefract Museum Foyer

Welcome to the foyer at Pontefract Museum!

The gorgeous art nouveau building that now houses the Museum is part of the attraction in itself.

$The entrance foyer at Pontefract Museum, an art nouveau building with green tiled walls, archways and a mosaic tiled floor$

$Close up of detail of art nouveau green tiled staircase at Pontefract Museum$

Before becoming a museum, the building was Pontefract's first free library. Until it opened in 1905, the people of Pontefract had to pay to borrow books. Built in 1904-1905 and costing £2,588, the new library was paid for by Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie was a wealthy steelmaker and paid for 2,500 libraries around the world, including the one in Pontefract and Castleford Library.

Local firm Garside and Pennington was commissioned to design the Pontefract library. George Pennington actually did the work for free. He was inspired by art nouveau styles, which were then in fashion. This used natural floral motifs and flowing lines, and avoided the symmetry of Classical styles. Pennington used this theme throughout, even designing internal fittings and furniture specifically for the building.

The library outgrew the old building and moved to its current site in 1975. In 1978, the building reopened as the new Pontefract Museum!

Use the links below to explore the Museum:

$The main gallery at Pontefract Museum$