Our Heritage, Our Stories

Tatiana Hepplewhite

Our Heritage, Our Stories is a multi-year programme supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, bringing communities together to explore and celebrate the rich heritage of Wakefield district.

The project supports local people and organisations to research and share the stories, places and traditions that matter to them. It also aims to improve access (including digital access) to historic sites, archives and collections across the district, helping more people connect with the district's heritage.

At its heart, the programme aims to empower more people to discover and tell their own stories, while celebrating the diversity and history that make Wakefield district unique. By working together, we are helping to ensure these stories are recognised, valued and preserved for future generations.

Discover key projects

Heritage Hub

This Heritage Hub has been created as part of the Our Heritage, Our Stories programme. Developed in response to feedback from local heritage organisations, it provides a central place to discover heritage projects, connect with local heritage groups, and explore heritage events taking place across the district.

As the Hub grows, we welcome feedback to help shape its future. To share your ideas or suggestions, please contact heritage@wakefield.gov.uk.

Heritage Network

Connecting communities through a shared passion for local heritage is a core aim of Our Heritage, Our Stories.

Following consultation with local heritage groups, facilitated by Buttercrumble, the Wakefield District Heritage Network was launched in 2025. The network brings together individuals, volunteers and organisations from across the district to share knowledge, build partnerships and support local heritage activity.

Membership continues to grow and new members are always welcome. Visit the Heritage Network page to find out more.

Digital heritage projects

Working in partnership with One to One Development Trust and local communities, Our Heritage, Our Stories has supported two new innovative digital experiences that bring some of the district’s important hidden heritage sites and stories to life. These heritage sites cannot easily be accessed in person, but are an important part of the district’s unique heritage. We are exploring how digital technology can enable access to these hidden heritage sites, allowing new audiences to engage and discover their stories.

Roman Castleford Uncovered

Castleford was founded as a Roman Fort nearly 2000 years ago. Although Castleford remained an important strategic town and a centre for manufacturing and trade for nearly 400 years, there are almost no visible remains of this history in Castleford today. There is a fantastic collection of Roman objects in Castleford Museum, but without the wider context it is hard to envisage how these items would have been used in the town, or how roman Castleford once looked. This interactive digital experience explores Castleford's Roman past, allowing visitors to step inside a virtual Roman fort, bathhouse and vicus, pick up and examine digital objects from the museum collection, and even meet a Roman soldier.

The project was shaped by local volunteers and heritage groups, who also developed new skills in drone filming and digital modelling. Following successful public testing at the Castleford Roman Festival, the platform was launched during Heritage Open Days and can now be freely accessed online.

Explore Roman Castleford Uncovered online.

Pontefract Hermitage and Dispensary

This project will uncover two of Pontefract's hidden heritage sites: the underground medieval hermitage and the Victorian dispensary building. Through virtual reality and community stories, visitors will be able to explore these remarkable spaces in new and engaging ways.

Civic art collections

There are lots of paintings, portraits and photographs in Wakefield Council's buildings. You’ve probably walked past them, but have you ever wondered about the stories behind them, and what they can tell us about our district’s past?

Our Heritage Our Stories has been working with fine art specialist Natalie Rudd and volunteers from Wakefield Historical Society to research and uncover the stories behind some of our civic artworks. We have also worked with local artist Beccy Dye (Storytrails UK) to create audio clips that share some of the fascinating stories that have been uncovered. From the Ossett mayor who walked from Ossett to Scarborough (and back!) in his seventies, to Wakefield’s female mayor and mayoress who steered the city through a year of change after the Second World War, the civic artworks have a fascinating tale to tell.

Their research reveals fascinating insights into local democracy, industrial growth, social change and personal achievement.

Discover the stories uncovered so far in the Civic Art Collection rediscovered project.

South Asian Heritage Project Wakefield

The South Asian Heritage project is an ongoing project led by West Yorkshire Archive, working in partnership with Wakefield Libraries Local Studies and Wakefield Museums and Castles. It has focussed on identifying objects that relate to the South Asian community in the existing heritage collections and delivering community events to share and explore those objects and the stories they represent during South Asian Heritage month in July.

Activities have included archive open days and community "Chai and Chat" events, creating opportunities to uncover, share and celebrate stories connected to South Asian communities across the district.

More projects and activities

Since launching in 2024, Our Heritage, Our Stories has supported a wide range of heritage projects, events and activities across the district.

Read our blog to discover more stories, projects and updates.