The Heart of Wakefield Project - Free guided walks around Wood Street Conservation Area, Wakefield
In association with Wakefield Council, Wakefield Historical Society and Leeds Beckett University, Wakefield Civic Society has formed a partnership to research the story of Wood Street, in the city centre.
The Heart of Wakefield Project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and aims to uncover the stories of the people who lived or worked on the historic street and to research the history of the street itself and the buildings along it.
Wood Street is home to many historic buildings including Wakefield Town Hall, the former Wakefield Magistrates' Court and the former Police Station. The project is aiming to find out more about the street's beginnings, how it developed and what happened there. Volunteers from Wakefield Civic Society, Wakefield Historical Society and the public at large have been busy researching facts and discovering some fascinating stories. This research will be published by the Historical Society in due course.
The 17th June has been designated by Civic Voice as national Civic Day and civic societies across the country are holding events to mark the occasion which, this year, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Civic Amenities Act of 1967 which led to the creation of the first Conservation Areas. With this in mind, we have chosen 17th June to hold our first guided walks around Wood Street Conservation Area which is itself one of Wakefield’s Conservation Areas.