Wakefield Museums and Castles

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Wakefield Council Museums and Castles team. Follow us for news about our museums and castles across the district and stories from our collections.

Three yellow daisy-like flowers growing on an elecampane plant in the Medieval Herb Garden
Historian Tom Holland pointing at actor Tom Holland over a director's chair with 'Tom Holland' on it, like the multiple Spidermans meme
Front, reverse, top and bottom views of a t-shaped silver gilt brooch, worn away to a pale red and yellow colour. There are celtic-style swirls along the brooch.
A green leaf-shaped piece of card with the handwritten note that says 'me and Mbappe marrying and then I will plant 10 million trees'
An elderly woman having a nap on a sofa, covered by a blanket. Photo taken in the 1940s or 1950s by Jack Hulme
Ken Schofield at a workbench focusing on hand-stitching a leather football, surrounded by other examples he has already made. He looks up at the camera, but still has a look of concentration.
Two Learning Disability Super League tag rugby players in a tackle as another player cheers from the sideline
An old man carrying paraffin churns at Robin Hoods Bay, Whitby during the 1930s. He is mopping his brow and looks exhausted. Photograph taken by David Gluck of Pontefract.
Steelbert, a dragon sculpture made from steel wire, beside the keep at Pontefract Castle. A robin is perched on top of a sign nearby that says 'beware! Dragon, do not climb!"
Joe and Kammy smiling in a selfie taken inside a gazebo at the event
A red wax seal featuring a floral design
A large empty room with curved roof and long benches
A cover is pulled off a tall free-standing display case containing footballs and sporting equipment from the 1960s, and an information panel on the back of the case
A cream quilt panel with 'Phillip, you are precious' appliqued on in large letters, and in the circles of the 'p's the name 'Ruth' and 'Love'
A dog stood on its hind legs wearing a Yorkshire flat cap and with a pipe in its mouth (yes really)
The Arts and Crafts log cabin style Visitor Centre at Pontefract Castle with water steaming off the roof
A small corroded copper figurine of a rather long cockerel
Bird's eye view of the outline of the excavated Roman bath house
Artist's impression of inside a Roman bath house, with men (and only men) chatting, playing dice games, having treatments and taking a dip.
A metre measuring stick next to stone remains of a fireplace at Sandal Castle, with the moat and bridge beyond
Remains of a stone tower built into a grassy mound known as Richard III's tower
A video that pans across a pastel watercolour painting of a series of Victorian brick buildings clustered together and leading to a paved walkway
Sir David Attenborough seated and smiling superimposed over an image of the dungeon steps at Pontefract Castle
An oil painting of a woman in her 40s. She has shoulder-length wavy red strawberry blonde hair, pale skin, olive eyes and red lipstick. She is wearing a quietly determined expression
A fuzzy young carder bee with dark orange fuzz and dark, wavy wings, feeding on rosemary flowers in the medieval herb garden
A hand painted glass negative of red tulips with pale green leaves, the bulbs poking through the soil in a shallow pot
glass negative photograph of a very happy smiling baby in a white frilly dress sat on an ornate chair
A very tall stalk of rhubarb with large green leaf - as tall as a nearby information panel that reaches waist height!
A moodboard based on colourful plastic objects from around the home from the 1900s, with shads of yellow, blue, green, pink and red drawn out
A series of old clock faces ticking around from 12pm to 11pm
Six assorted Roman gemstones featuring designs of animals and deities. They are different shapes and made of a variety of materials including red jasper, amber and pale blue chalcedony
A slightly weathered black cardboard box with 'Life puzzles - Journery to the moon; 400-piece interlocking jig-saw puzzle' and photo of the moon on the front, and a pile of jigsaw pieces in front of the box
A baby Ilbert the Dragon toy next to a flag pole flying the rainbow infinity flag for Autism Acceptance Month at Pontefract Castle
Glass plate negative showing a couple (Horace and Louisa Simpson) posing on bicycles on a tree lined lane. Both wear straw hats.
An adult stood on the 'months' stone with their shadow being cast towards one of the points on the sundial at Pontefract Castle
A young woman with dark curly hair in an updo, wearing a shoulderless white dress, holding an open white satin and black lace parasol over her shoulder. She looks into the distance away from us. The photo is in black and white and probably taken in the 1950s.
A curly grey dog looking into the distance standing on an old castle wall on a windy day with moody grey skies
A stone wall with a gap in it showing a lush woodland beyond, part of Charles Waterton's famous Waterton's Wall
A vintage booklet of knitting pattern for 'boys' helmets', one showing a baby with a grey knitted widow's peak
A paper ticket giving entry to Pontefract Castle grounds in 1881 for £1, with faded handwritten parts, and fixed to a piece of cardboard for safe keeping
A shiny black cover is removed from a large glass display case containing a giant cartoon Worm costume and other props from the Worms video game
black and white photo of a large horse being rowed across a river on a rowing boat by two men. It is presumably a pit pony as there is a colliery in the background.
A gilded portrait of Richard II sat on his throne at Pontefract Castle
A giant pink cartoon worm, the same height as a person, stood in the Team17 Office lobby
Our Curator John and Exhibitions Officer Clare stood either side of a person-sized object underneath a black cover. They are stood in the Team17 office lobby.
A pair of green frosted glass owls on plinths designed to act as bookends
The rainbow Pride flag with a chevron of Trans and racial equality colours flying at Pontefract Castle
A soft, romantic oil painting of All Saints Church in the day. It shows the remains of the original medieval structure and the new chapel built within the ruins.
A man stood proudly next to a tractor load of forced rhubarb - the pile is taller than he is!
A pencil sketch of Cynthia Kenny as an older lady, with short curly hair, glasses and slight smile
Green full-length trousers made from a protective material, with braces, pockets and tape fasteners
A globe grenade shaped glass bottle, handheld sized, with 'star' and 'warden's hand grenade' on it
Ilbert the Dragon, a friendly yellow and purple dragon mascot, being hugged by a child
A vivid technicolour re-imagining of The Counting House in Pontefract, a half-timbered building from the 1600s. It is in bold block shades of yellow, pink, purple, orange and green against a blue sky.
Video showing footage from Sandal Castle, Wakefield Museum, Pontefract Museum, Pontefract Castle and Castleford Museum. It features visitors of all ages.
A wintry watercolour painting of the view over Crofton, with snow-covered farmyards and buildings, cooling towers and a church in the far distance. It is softly painted in Kenny's typical shades of blue and orange.
A mottled pink, purple, blue and orange sunrise over the remains of Pontefract Castle. The cobbled floor of the brewhouse is in the foreground, and remains of the stone keep in the background.
Our volunteer Carole in her green polo shirt smiling as she tends to a plant in the Medieval Herb Garden
Bright red berries and green oval leaves of a holly plant