$Pontefract Castle$

Castle · Pontefract · West Yorkshire

Pontefract Castle

Set in Pontefract is Pontefract Castle. Add any of 3 more places within 5 km to a visit. It counts as a scheduled monument.

Photo: Pontefract Castle (Public domain)

Where

In Pontefract

inside the built-up area

Run by

Wakefield Council

the operator on record

How well known

Top 6%

#465 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

Jun–Sep

highs of 18–21°C

In brief

Castle in Pontefract

One of the best-known places to visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#465 of the 8,556 museums, castles, gardens and other attractions we list, by how widely it is covered (13 Wikipedias). About ↓

Inside Pontefract

Pontefract Castle is inside Pontefract’s built-up area, with 3 more places to visit within 5 km. Towns near it ↓

Scheduled monument

On the official list of protected heritage; Pontefract has 63 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

Seasons in Pontefract

Afternoons in Pontefract peak at 18–21°C, June to September.

Jan7° / 2°40 mm

Feb8° / 2°40 mm

Mar10° / 3°39 mm

Apr13° / 5°43 mm

May16° / 7°45 mm

Jun19° / 10°60 mm

Jul21° / 12°53 mm

Aug21° / 12°63 mm

Sep18° / 10°54 mm

Oct14° / 7°61 mm

Nov10° / 4°61 mm

Dec8° / 2°53 mm

Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Pontefract, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Pontefract. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Pontefract’s full climate →

About

Pontefract Castle

The site is run by Wakefield Council. Wikipedia covers it in 13 languages. Our list goes on with Sandal Castle, 13 km away.

Pontefract’s listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Castle
Run by: Wakefield Council
Listed: Scheduled monument
Wikipedias: Covered in 13 languages
Town: in Pontefract
Official site: wakefield.gov.uk/museums-and-castles/pontefract-castle

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

The map

Where Pontefract Castle is

Orange shows Pontefract Castle; numbers mark the places near it.

Towns near it

Bases near Pontefract Castle

With 45,363 people, Castleford is the largest of the 8. These are the towns that list it, beginning with its own.

1 · It’s in town

Pontefract

32,982 people · 5 places to visit

2 · 1.9 km northwest of it

Castleford

45,363 people · 6 places to visit

3 · 2 km east of it

Knottingley

9,516 people · 2 places to visit

4 · 2.1 km northeast of it

Holmfield

4,150 people · 4 places to visit

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Pontefract Castle is	People	Places to visit
Pontefract	It’s in town	32,982	5
Castleford	1.9 km northwest of it	45,363	6
Knottingley	2 km east of it	9,516	2
Holmfield	2.1 km northeast of it	4,150	4
Darrington	2.8 km southeast of it	1,194	3
Featherstone	3 km southwest of it	11,657	7
Brotherton	3.7 km northeast of it	742	4
High Ackworth	3.9 km southwest of it	742	4

Make a day of it

More near Pontefract Castle

There are 23 within 15 km, 3 museums, 2 historic houses and a castle among them.

CastleSandal Castle13 km away 2

CathedralWakefield Cathedral13 km away 3

Historic house · National TrustNostell Priory7.4 km away 4

MuseumPontefract Museum600 m away 5

Art galleryThe Hepworth Wakefield13 km away 6

MuseumQueen's Mill4.8 km away 7

MuseumTemple Newsam House14 km away 8

Historic houseLotherton Hall14 km away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Pontefract Castle, answered

Where is Pontefract Castle?

Pontefract Castle is in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, inside the town’s built-up area.

What is Pontefract Castle?

Castle in West Yorkshire, England, UK.

Who runs Pontefract Castle?

Wakefield Council.

When is the best time to visit Pontefract Castle?

June to September are the warmest months in Pontefract, with afternoon highs of 18–21°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Pontefract Castle a listed building?

Yes: scheduled monument.

What else is there to see near Pontefract Castle?

Within 15 km: Sandal Castle (13 km), Wakefield Cathedral (13 km), Nostell Priory (7.4 km) and Pontefract Museum (600 m).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (9)

Pontefract Castle: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Sandal Castle: Abcdef123456 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Wakefield Cathedral: Mike Kirby, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Nostell Priory: Wehha, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Pontefract Museum: Stanley Walker, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Hepworth Wakefield: Mike Kirby, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Queen's Mill: Bill Henderson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Temple Newsam House: Sirenuk, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Lotherton Hall: Mike Kirby, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.