Fab February Half Term!

February half term is already rapidly approaching!

Looking for what's on in Wakefield this February half term? 

Here's everything that's happening across our sites for the week starting 13th February!

Brilliant Bronze Age at Castleford Museum - 13, 14, 16 and 17* February

Looking to go on an ancient adventure this half term?

Join us at Castleford Museum to travel back thousands of years to the Bronze Age!

Walk in the shoes of the first Castlefordians on a story trail around our awesome ancient artefacts. Discover the tools and tricks to survive in Bronze Age Castleford with the axes and arrowheads they left behind.

Once you’re safely back in the present, we’ve got lots of fantastic materials to make your own crafts inspired by the brilliant Bronze Age. What will you take home to remember your journey by?

All materials are provided for free.

*Friday 17 January: SEND families are always welcome at all of our sessions but we are running this SEND session for those groups who require a more relaxed atmosphere.

The session will be run with more sensory activities, more focus on independent learning, a lower light level and with a sensory tent and ear defenders available upon request.

Activities available 10 until 3 on Monday 13, Tuesday 14, Thursday 16 and Friday 17 February at Castleford Museum

Free and no booking required

Rugby, Rugby, Rugby! at Pontefract Museum - Wednesday 15 February

Do you love Rugby League? Join us at Pontefract Museum to celebrate our Women in Rugby League: Life with the Lionesses exhibition with stacks of super sporty crafts!

Ever wanted to design your very own rugby kit? Here’s your chance! We’ll also be making flying rugby balls and flicking finger puppets to take the field. Be inspired by local and national Rugby League legends and take the Lionesses’ spirit home with you.

All materials are provided for free. 

10.30 until 3 at Pontefract Museum on Wednesday 15 February

Free and no booking required

Ready, Get Set, Grow! at Pontefract Castle - Wednesday 15 February

Spring has almost sprung at Pontefract Castle!

Join us to take in the sights of the Castle grounds and smells of our medieval herb garden this half term.

Decorate your own plant pots with loads of fun, recycled fabrics and fill it with bulbs ready for spring. Watch your very own pot full of fabulous flowers grow at home!

Tickets are £2.50 per child, with accompanying adults free.

Wednesday 15 February, sessions at 11 and 1.

Activity Zone at Pontefract Castle

To book Ready, Get Set, Grow! click here 

Foody Fun for Under 5s at Wakefield Museum - Thursday 16 February

Looking for something for your little ones this Rhubarb Festival?

Join us for a multisensory crafty rhubarb adventure at Wakefield Museum, specially designed for ages 2 to 5!

We’ll be mark making and model building using Wakefield’s favourite food. Take part in an interactive story aboard the Rhubarb Express train and paint and make with rhubarb!

All materials provided for free. 

10.30 and 1.30 in the Learning Zone at Wakefield Museum, Thursday 16 February

No booking required

Let's Make Rhubarb Crumble! at Wakefield Museum - Friday 17 February

Families are invited to join us for this hands-on workshop where we will explore the history of rhubarb growing in our region, make yummy rhubarb crumbles* to bake at home, and imagine that we run our own rhubarb crumble businesses, designing eye-catching packaging for our products.

This workshop is suitable for families with children of all ages and has been designed to provide opportunities for families to learn and have fun together. 

*All materials provided, including gluten-free and dairy-free ingredients

10 - 12am and 1.30 - 3.30pm in the Learning Zone at Wakefield Museum

Tickets £2.50 per child, accompanying adults free

To book the Let's Make Rhubarb Crumble workshop click here

Montgomery Bonbon: Museum Mystery Trail at Castleford Museum, Pontefract Museum and Wakefield Museum - 11 February to 31 March

Go undercover and test your detective skills at our museums as part of the national Montgomery Bonbon: Museum Mystery Trail, organised by Kids in Museums and Walker Books. The trail celebrates the release of new children’s book Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the Museum written by comedian Alasdair Beckett-King and illustrated by Claire Powell. Grab an activity sheet, solve puzzles and have fun with your family this half term. Remember to pick up a free moustache bookmark to get in the mystery-solving mindset!

Visit the Kids in Museums website to find out how you could win a signed copy of the book!

Attending any of our fab February events? Tag us on socials with your photos!

We're on Facebook @WakefieldMuseum, Twitter @WFMuseums and Instagram @WakefieldMuseums

To be the first to find out about future events, click here to sign up to our newsletter

For more events already listed, click here

Knottingley: Fire & Water - 23rd November 2022

On 23 November 2022, Wakefield Museums & Castles are celebrating the industrial heritage of Knottingley through a commissioned artwork by David Appleyard.

Knottingley: Fire & Water is an innovative artwork, with illuminations, projections, and local community responses. It will be an evening of wonder, celebration, and community spirit.

But why Knottingley, why now, and why should you come to see it?

A concept design preview of the Knottingley: Fire & Water event

Knottingley – Industria Ditat

The coat of arms of the town of Knottingley has the Latin motto ‘Industria Ditat’, which means ‘Progress through Industry’. It was an appropriate motto for a town so strongly defined and shaped by industry. This industry was made possible by the town’s position on the River Aire and the Aire & Calder Navigation.

Knottingley's coat of arms, also used by the town's Rugby Union club, cricket club and Silver Band.
Image from Heraldry Wiki.com.

Shipbuilding, glassmaking and coal mining became the dominant industries. The town’s shipyards built and maintained both inland and seagoing vessels. The glass factories – the most notable being Bagley and Co – were at the forefront of glass production and the development of new machinery. Kellingley Colliery, just two miles away from Knottingley, employed over 2000 miners in its heyday. Ships, goods, and coal were transported along Knottingley’s waterways, out to the Humber and beyond, and the town thrived.

Wakefield Museums & Castles wanted to celebrate this strong industrial heritage by commissioning an artist to develop a digital artwork, inspired by the town’s heritage, the museum’s collections, and the stories of former employees. After a competitive process, they appointed Yorkshire-based artist David Appleyard, well-known for his community-based approach and his focus on industrial heritage.

For more about David's appointment, click here

 

‘My home, my life, my community’

As with many northern industrial towns, Knottingley is navigating a transition and finding a new identity. Although it has retained its glassmaking industry, with Stoelzle Flaconnage and Allied Glass remaining large employers in the town, the closure of Kellingley Colliery and reduction in community facilities have left some in the town feeling “forgotten” and left behind.

Two of the postcards filled out by members of the community as part of the project
(full transcription in alt text)

Over the past seven months, David Appleyard has immersed himself in the community, working closely with local people to reflect on the Knottingley of the present, as well as the Knottingley of the past. Local people have responded to the question ‘What does Knottingley mean to you?’ on postcards and beermats, and local schoolchildren have redesigned the Knottingley coat-of-arms. A mixture of positive, negative, and indifferent responses has been received. More than 200 people have taken part.

Another postcard from David's community project (full transcription in alt text)

A beermat with a response to the question 'What does Knottingley mean to you?'
(full transcription in alt text)

Light Up

The culmination of David’s work exploring Knottingley, both past and present, is the Knottingley: Fire & Water event on Wednesday 23 November, 5pm - 8pm.

The event will see some of Knottingley’s iconic industrial buildings illuminated with light, colour, and historic photographic images. Community responses to Knottingley today, on postcards and beermats, will be on display in the Town Hall. There will be free refreshments, entertainment, and performances from Knottingley Silver Band.

The event is designed to bring the people together in an evening of celebration, reflection, and community spirit.

 

Map of the Event

So come along for:

•          Illuminated buildings
•          Projections of historic photographs showing Knottingley’s industrial past
•          Knottingley Silver Band
•          Glow entertainers
•          Free refreshments

Click here for full event information

Counting Down to Christmas!

We're getting into the festive spirit, so here's all the details of what's going on across our sites this Christmas! 🎄

Lanterns and Lights (22nd November)

Castleford Museum

How did the people of Castleford make dark nights bright in the past?

Discover for yourself at Castleford Museum as we stay open later for an evening of family activities all about lanterns and lights.

Get hands on with light themed objects from our collections, experiment with different materials to create your own light art and make a colourful lantern to take home.

Tuesday 22nd November - 3:30pm to 6:30pm

FREE - no booking required

Liquorice Santa (10th December)

Pontefract Museum

Meet our special sweet Santa in his liquorice grotto and receive a Christmas gift!

Children of all ages and their grown-ups are invited to join us at Pontefract Museum for our very special Liquorice Santa drop-in day.

There will be lots of festive fun with hands-on crafts inspired by Pontefract's historic confectionary industry.

Santa and activities will be at the Museum 10.30am – 3pm.

FREE - No booking required, although plan ahead as it will be busy!

A Green Christmas (17th December)

Wakefield Museum

Visit Father Christmas in his cosy home at Wakefield Museum and find out what he's doing to make this Christmas green and eco-friendly!

Make your own fabulous Christmas collage, experience the season through your senses and have fun creating all sorts of crimble crafts to take home with you. We have everything you need to get you into the festive spirit!

This session is designed for SEND families (although all children and young people are welcome) and there will be changes to the sensory experience in the Museum for a more relaxed visit. 

All activities (including visiting Father Christmas) are FREE, but booking is essential as numbers are required. 

Book here 

Let's Make Tudor Christmas Crafts! (20th December)

Pontefract Castle

Ever wondered how people in Henry VIII's time celebrated Christmas?

Children of all ages and their grown-ups are invited to join us as we explore some of the ways in which the Tudor residents of Pontefract Castle got into the Christmas spirit.

You can even make some Tudor-style Christmas decorations to take home!

Tuesday 20th December

Booking required - Children £2.50, accompanying adults free

A Very Merry Mix Up (19th, 20th, 22nd and 23rd* December)

Castleford Museum

Join us this festive season as we travel through time!

Learn about the history of Castleford through the eyes of Roman Soldier Bobius, as he searches for a perfect present.

Follow along with his quest as he explores beautiful and unusual objects made throughout Castleford’s history and be inspired to make your own festive gift.

*Friday 23rd December: SEND families are welcome at all of our sessions but we are running this SEND session for those families who require a more relaxed atmosphere.

The session will be run with more sensory activities, more focus on independent learning, a lower light level and with a sensory tent and ear defenders available upon request.

10am to 3pm each day

Free - No Booking Required

Growing for Wellbeing

An introduction to the garden from our historic herb vlogs by Ian Downes, Programme and Events Officer

My day job involves organising the major events at Pontefract Castle, alongside the programme of talks and lectures, informal learning activities, and helping to interpret the ruins of our two castle sites.

I like to spend my spare time in my garden, which is about a quarter of an acre, filled with nearly 400 herbs and useful plants. It has everything from apples, bananas, tomatoes and blueberries, to chives and rue.  This keeps me busy - weeding, keeping things tidy and of course the addictive bit, finding new plants!

The herb garden

All this work is what keeps me physically and mentally healthy.  Just last weekend I dug 16 holes for courgette, pumpkin squash and tromboncino plants; cut down a stump from an old hedge we are taking down; and potted up 50 baby plants I had grown from seed.  In the heat this was quite an achievement, and all that’s before you eat anything from the garden.

The veg garden

Young plants growing in the greenhouse

Mentally, it gives me inconsequential things to worry about, pleasant things to think about, and a nice environment to just sit down quietly, something that has become all the more important during lockdown.  

Dragonfly spotted in the garden

The garden also sits nicely alongside my day job.  As an archaeologist, it’s often interesting to watch out for the things I am digging up.  Over the three years we have lived here, we have found numerous pieces of dressed stone, fragments of medieval pottery and Victorian coins. Only this weekend I found a perfume bottle with a Bakelite lid and a shard of 16th to 17th century pottery! 

16th-17th century pottery shard

The links go deeper than that though. Many of the herbs have traditional uses, particularly the medicinal ones, and some date back to Roman times. A few would have been grown in the herb gardens in and around Pontefract. One that Pontefract is famous for and grows really well in our garden? Liquorice!

Liquorice growing in the garden

    

Recently that has meant I have used the time in lockdown to record a series of vlogs about the uses of herbs in the past, with the herb garden as the studio. We are looking at herbs that might have been used in Pontefract Castle.  To give you an idea of what the garden is like, here is a quick tour.

For more from Ian's garden, check out the Medieval Herbs playlist on our YouTube channel.

Surrealism x visual impairment

Artist Cerys Dyson is currently exhibiting her photographic project ‘surrealism x visual impairment’ on ‘The Wall’- Wakefield Museums and Castles mini gallery- in Create Café at Wakefield One.

Photophobia, by Cerys Dyson

We asked Cerys about her work:

"My name is Cerys Dyson, I have studied a HND in photography at Wakefield College which is where the idea & project of ‘surrealism x visual impairment’ came from for my final major.

As well as just a project it has a deep sentimental value for me as I was born with nystagmus - living with it means I know what it’s like, but I wanted to push my boundaries further to investigate different conditions and raise awareness of how visually impaired people see!

Pictures within my project cover conditions such as photophobia, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, macular degeneration, tunnel vision and of course nystagmus! I also made a book which explains the conditions in detail to match the pictures.

Diabetic Retinopathy, By Cerys Dyson

Further progression for this project's audiences could ideally be in eye clinics, hospitals and other photographic galleries! "

Surrealism x visual impairment will be exhibited at Create Cafe until 11 November.

  

See more work from Cerys on Instagram: @cdysonphotography

Cerys Dyson

A History of the North in 100 Objects

What does the North mean to you? What items would you choose to illustrate pioneering Northern spirit?

Get North 2018, the Great Exhibition of the North, is taking place in Newcastle and Gateshead this summer and will celebrate Northern innovations that have shaped the world.

As part of the festival, museums across the North of England were challenged to choose star objects from their collections that best represent social, scientific, industrial and artistic innovations. A History of the North in 100 Objects is an exciting multi-region trail with a virtual exhibition at www.100objectsnorth.co.uk

Here at Wakefield Museums and Castles we’re thrilled to be involved. All four of our sites feature in the trail.

In this post, we thought we’d introduce our seven winning objects. Visit your museums at Castleford, Pontefract and Wakefield and the Pontefract Castle Visitor Centre to catch them all!

Castleford Museum

Iron Age Chariot Burial

This elaborate chariot burial from 200BC was excavated near Ferrybridge Henge during work to upgrade the A1. A rare and exciting find, it is one of only 200 chariot burials found in Britain and the only one outside of Scotland or the East Riding. It is an especially important example as the chariot had been buried whole and not dismantled. As a result, it has shown us how Iron Age chariots worked.

Scientific analysis has revealed that the man buried with the chariot had moved to the region, probably from 40-50 miles away in the East Riding, no doubt bringing some of his cultural traditions with him.

Jumping a homemade hurdle, Jack Hulme

Jack Hulme was a colliery worker, hairdresser and renowned amateur photographer, an ordinary man who created extraordinary art out of the everyday. His black and white images captured the essence of life in Castleford in the mid Twentieth Century. They depict workers, family life, and the community, from everyday scenes of children playing and neighbours chatting, to celebrations like V E Day and the Coronation. This amazing action shot of a young boy mid leap is one of our favourites.

Pontefract Castle

Siege coin, 1648

During the Civil War, Pontefract castle was sieged three times. It was the last Royalist stronghold to surrender to the Parliamentarians after Charles I’s execution. Whilst they were cut off from outside society, the castle community adapted to siege conditions by creating their own infrastructure, including their own currency. With no access to money from outside the castle, the commanders melted down precious metals to make their own rough coinage to pay troops and buy supplies.

Pontefract Museum

Ballot box

This wooden box illustrates a landmark moment in British political history. It was used at a by-election in Pontefract in 1872, the first UK parliamentary election by secret ballot. This was the first time that British citizens voted for an MP anonymously by placing an X on a ballot paper. Previously, you declared your vote in public and elections were plagued by intimidation and corruption. The election was historic and attracted national attention. Today, we still use the same voting method pioneered in Pontefract.

Dunhill’s Ltd liquorice stamp

Stamps like these were used to make the iconic Pontefract cake. Pontefract is world famous for its liquorice. The herb was probably brought over from the Middle East by monks or medieval knights returning from the Crusades. It grows particularly well in Pontefract’s soil. Liquorice was originally medicinal but it was revolutionised in 1700s by Pontefract apothecary, George Dunhill, who first added sugar to make it a sweet. By 1900, Pontefract liquorice was sold all around the globe.

A stamp like this one was also used on the wax seal on the secret ballot box. At the start of the election, the empty ballot boxes were sealed shut so that the ballot papers couldn’t be tampered with.


Wakefield Museum


Astral Navigations LP, Holyground Records

This rare and collectable record was released by Holyground Records, the country’s first independent record label and recording studio. Holyground was established in Wakefield in 1966 by Mike Levon. They worked with and often introduced influential artists. This record features Bill Nelson, who later became part of Be-Bop Deluxe. Holyground production runs were small. Only 250 copies were made of the original Astral Navigations LP.

Rhubarb splitting tool used at Brandy Carr Nurseries in 2009

Wakefield is famous for its position in the Rhubarb Triangle, the land between Wakefield, Leeds and Morley renowned for growing forced rhubarb, a technique unique to the region. Forced rhubarb is produced out of season by growing roots very quickly in warm, dark sheds lit by candle. The industry first boomed in 1880s, with the Rhubarb Triangle supplying London and Europe. Special rhubarb trains ran overnight between January and March. Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb now holds the same Designated Origin protection as parma ham and champagne.

 

The #100ObjectsNorth website is interactive. Users can search for objects by time period, theme or size. Objects’ sizes are compared to animals. Our smallest objects like the siege coin and liquorice stamp are compared to a mouse but the chariot is as big as a horse! Some of the other objects featured are as large as an African elephant or even a blue whale! You can also explore by location using the map function. Look out for objects from other West Yorkshire museums like our friends at Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees.

Why not have a go at curating your own exhibition. Choose your favourite ten objects. We hope some of our objects will make your selections. What other Northern innovations will you pair them with? We can’t wait to see your collections- make sure you share them on social media and don’t forget to tag in @WFMuseums and use the #100ObjectsNorth so that we can admire your work!