Blog City Wakefield The Merrie City

Medieval Wakefield gained a reputation as the "Merrie City," where "a right honest man shall fare well for two pence a meal." It expanded around a thriving market set up at the beginning of the 13th Century under the shadow of Sandal Castle, founded a little earlier. Bouyed by inland trade on the navigable Calder, the town was the scene of important events during the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War. Wool, cattle and grain traders were drawn to Wakefield and the city prospered. As the Industrial Revolution transformed the landscape, wool spinning mills were set up by the river and powered by weirs. Breweries, coal mines and shipyards sprang up around the town. In the 1970s and 80s these industries faded away, and Wakefield was left with the difficult task of transitioning to a post-industrial economy. As such the government has embarked on ambitious building projects, like the Trinity Walk, the Ridings Shopping Centre and the Hepworth Wakefield. The Then pictures used here are reproduced from Wakefield Council's Online Museum Collections. I took the Now photos in March 2015.

Then and Now Photos