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Wakefield Cathedral
Attractions in Wakefield

Seeing Wakefield? Begin at Wakefield Cathedral

Yearly visitors to Yorkshire Sculpture Park number about 300K. We list 6 places to visit inside Wakefield’s built-up area and 6 within 5 km of its edge. There are 4 museums, 2 art galleries and 2 castles to choose from. Among them, one is cared for by the National Trust. Further afield, Leeds Cathedral is 13 km from the centre.

Photo: Wakefield Cathedral, Mike Kirby (CC BY-SA 2.0)
In Wakefield
6
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
6
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
6
in or near town
Castles & historic places
5
in or near town
Cared for
1
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Highlights of Wakefield

The rest of the best known are 3 museums and 2 art galleries.

CathedralWakefield Cathedralin townArt galleryThe Hepworth Wakefieldin townMuseumWakefield Museumin townArt galleryThe Art Housein townMuseumMuseumMental Health Muesumin townMuseumMuseumWest Yorkshire History Centrein town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Finding your way

The map stretches to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 8.9 km away.

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The dashed line is Wakefield’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

Which kinds

The two biggest groups: museums or galleries (6) and castles or historic places (5).

Museums & galleries 4 museums · 2 art galleries5 in town · 1 nearby
Castles & historic places 2 castles · 2 historic houses · 1 cathedral1 in town · 4 nearby
Other attractions 1 attraction0 in town · 1 nearby

Green: inside Wakefield. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

1 place is cared for by the National Trust (Nostell Priory).

Every place

Every one of them

After the 6 in town come 6 more within 5 km of its edge.

The 6 inside Wakefield come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

242 listed buildings and 3 scheduled monuments are on Wakefield’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Wakefield →

Big names nearby

Names further out

Day trips number 12; the best known is Leeds Cathedral, 13 km off.

CathedralLeeds Cathedral13 km northMuseumNational Science and Media Museum20 km northwest · 442K visitors a year (2015)CastlePontefract Castle13 km eastHistoric houseHarewood House24 km northCathedralBradford Cathedral20 km northwestAbbey or prioryKirkstall Abbey (Ruins)17 km northwestCastleCastle · English HeritageConisbrough Castle29 km southeastMuseumRoyal Armouries12 km northArt galleryLeeds Art Gallery13 km northMuseumTemple Newsam House12 km northCathedralSheffield Cathedral34 km southMuseumLeeds City Museum13 km north

Places well known beyond Wakefield (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Good to know in Wakefield

What are the main attractions in Wakefield?

The best known inside Wakefield’s built-up area are Wakefield Cathedral, The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield Museum and The Art House. In all, 6 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 6 more within 5 km.

Does Wakefield have a museum?

6 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Wakefield: The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield Museum, The Art House and Mental Health Muesum.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Wakefield?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Wakefield, 1 place is cared for by the National Trust (Nostell Priory).

What are the best-known days out near Wakefield?

Within 40 km: Leeds Cathedral (13 km), National Science and Media Museum (20 km), Pontefract Castle (13 km), Harewood House (24 km).

Where are Wakefield’s historic buildings listed?

Wakefield has 242 listed buildings, 11 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Wakefield when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

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 (20)

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.