Find out what life in Castleford was like in the 1700s. Be inspired and practice your artistic skills.
Brave and daring trainee knights, your castle needs you!
Join Illyria at Pontefract Castle for a swashbuckling adaptation of Dumas' classic in our magical historic setting.
Picture Pontefract in a new perspective. Explore the town through the eyes of artists, craftspeople and map makers.
In the early 1900s, a new wonder material began to appear in our homes. Discover the history, impact and future of plastics.
Join us for a tour of the Pontefract Castle dungeon! Soak in the atmosphere of this eerie underground space.
Learn about history where it happened on an Explorer Tour! Walk in the footsteps of royalty and Civil War soldiers.
Join our friendly Castleford Museum team, rain or shine, for free fun craft activities every Saturday.
Join our friendly Pontefract Museum team, rain or shine, for free fun craft activities every Saturday.
Join our friendly Wakefield Museum team, rain or shine, for free fun craft activities every Saturday.
Get hands-on with history! Handle real historical objects from our collection.
Our monthly Meet the Curator sessions are your chance to chat with our team. Bring your objects, stories or questions!
Explore Castleford's colourful and crafty past and try out a different activity each month.
Join Ilbert the Dragon for a fun afternoon of storytelling and hands-on play.
Relaxed medieval-themed fun for SEND families.
Experiment with light and shadow. Make a scratch silhouette bookmark to take home.
Travel around the museum on a toy trail and make your own toy to take home!
Join our storyteller for a brilliant story all about toys coming to life!
Enjoy a summer of free live performances from local artists at Pontefract Castle!
Learn how to design and cut your own lino print.
Get creative and discover a new side to Pontefract in this welcoming poetry workshop and walk.
Bring your budding young writers and enjoy a walk and write around Pontefract together!
Can you beat our transport challenge? Make your own model boat or train to take on your adventures!
Join our medieval servants to prepare the castle for an important visit.
Relaxed cooking-themed fun for SEND families.
See our replica medieval bread oven in action as part of Medieval Master Chefs week!
Learn about the diets of the medieval rich and poor through handling objects, games and crafts.
Join Carole, one of our volunteer gardeners, as she talks about the plants in our Medieval Herb Garden.
Did you know plastic was once made from milk? Make and model with milk plastic!
What weird and wonderful things can everyday items be made out of? Go on a museum trail and practice your weaving skills!
Join the HandleBards at Pontefract Castle for a pedal-powered production of a Shakespeare favourite!
Be inspired by souvenirs and keepsakes in our collections. What will you take home to remember your visit?
Discover how people had fun in the 1950s. Enjoy merriment with music, marbles and carnival costumes!
Pop along for an afternoon of urban sketching at Pontefract Castle.
Try some of the sports, skills and pastimes that kept medieval people fit, fast and battle‑ready.
Relaxed medieval sports fun for SEND families.
Be inspired by local buildings to design your own imagined townscape.
Make something fabulous from recycled plastic objects. Give single-use plastic a second lease of life!
Get hands-on in this fun family tactile workshop!
Discover the magic of the old Castleford Market. Make a mini market stall.
Explore the powerful machines of medieval warfare. Have a go at making and firing your own model trebuchet.
Relaxed medieval battle and trebuchet fun for SEND families.
Discover a world of Victorian illusions and optical toys.
Turn plastic bottle caps into mini monsters or game pieces. Try remaking museum objects from LEGO bricks!
Create a personal journal that mixes words, images, textures and ideas.
Enjoy friendly craft sessions and learn about your local area at Pontefract Castle.
Enjoy friendly craft sessions and learn about your local area at Wakefield Museum.
Join us for a fun foody printmaking workshop. Use everyday foodstuffs as creative tools!
A special weekly session for our littlest visitors! Meet Alphabet Cat and take part in activities, rhymes and more.
Get hands-on with history at Castleford Museum! Handle real historical objects.
Join West Yorkshire Bat Group for a very special Pontefract Castle bat walk!
Little Hummingbird Events are bringing their Makers Market to Pontefract Castle!
Discover the hidden history of Pontefract’s dispensary, and the 14th century hermitage it’s built on top of.
Discover interesting and intriguing stories about the Castle's past on this whistlestop tour.
Discover the history of Sandal Castle with our volunteers on this tour around the castle grounds and ruins.
Join us for a free tour of the Pontefract Castle dungeon as part of Heritage Open Days! Soak in the atmosphere of this eerie underground space.
Go behind the scenes! Discover the wonders of our collections in our Museum Store Tours. Free for Heritage Open Days.
Join us for an inspiring, hands-on workshop masterclass exploring oak gall ink.
Use polymer clay to make your own colourful marbled and patterned beads.
The Gawthorpe Coal Race started as a pub challenge in 1963. It is now a global sporting event. Discover the story at Ossett Library Museum Hub.
We’ve joined forces with the Featherstone Rovers Foundation for the first ever museum display celebrating Learning Disability Rugby League.
Discover Pontefract Museum through play, sign-supported English and making connections.
Explore the world of medieval medicine. Concoct your own herbal remedies for medieval patients!
Get hands-on with replica objects and discover what hygiene was like in ancient times!
Light, tend and cook with the fire in our replica medieval bread oven!
Discover how comics can tell local history stories. Become a comic book artist yourself!
Learn all about Pontefract Castle's Norman history! Examine the Castle's remains for evidence of its origins.
Explore the diary pages of soldier George Kellett. Learn about George's life through first-hand accounts.
Become a treasure hunter! Follow clues on a map to discover 'treasure', and create your own maps.
Distinguish historical fact from fiction in our fun myth-busting game! Create your own game to take away.
Explore the Victorian world of patchwork! Make your own patchwork-style Christmas stocking.
Visit South Elmsall Library Museum Hub and discover toys from the past!
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