Publications

Wakefield Civic Society Blue Plaques

Published in October 2023, this new book gives details of the Society’s blue plaques at the date of publication. Arranged around four walking trails, the book acts as a guide to discovering the Society’s plaques in the city centre (and further out for the adventurous!).

The book has been made possible with funding support from Wakefield Council as part of Our Year – Wakefield District 2024. We are planning to organise a number of guided walks based on the book during 2024. These walks will be led by a member of the Society and will add to the content of the book. Keep an eye on our Eventbrite page for more information. Participants will receive a free copy of the book.

If you would like to buy a copy, the cost is £3.50 plus £1.50 post and packing for delivery to a UK address. You can order the book via our on-line shop here.

Westgate Wakefield

In this book, published in March 2022, our President, Kevin Trickett MBE, tells the story of Westgate, one of Wakefield’s most important and ancient streets, and its buildings.

The book includes a walking tour looking at each of the buildings that line Westgate in the Upper Westgate Conservation Area, now designated a Historic High Street Heritage Action Zone as part of a regeneration and renewal project co-funded by Wakefield Council and Historic England.

The book costs just £3.50 and is available to purchase from our on-line shop for £5 (including £1.50 towards the cost of postage/delivery to UK addresses). Buy it here.

Wakefield: City of Sculpture and Public Art

Published in June 2019 to coincide with the launch of Yorkshire Sculpture International, our new guide to Wakefield, written by our President, Kevin Trickett MBE, sets out a walking tour of the city centre looking at commissioned sculpture, statues, monuments and decorative architectural embellishments that can be seen from the street.

This new book replaces an earlier publication that we produced in 2011 and contains additional entries, expanded text and new photos, all presented in a larger format book.

It costs just £3.50 and is available to purchase from our on-line shop for £5 (including £1.50 towards the cost of postage/delivery to UK addresses). Buy it here.

Wood Street: The Heart of Wakefield

The Society formed a partnership with Wakefield Council, Wakefield Historical Society and Leeds Beckett University to undertake research into the history of the Wood Street area as part of the Heart of Wakefield Project. Wakefield Civic Society has now published a book – Wood Street: The Heart of Wakefield which tells the history of the street and its buildings.

Written by Wakefield Civic Society president Kevin Trickett MBE, the book costs just £3.50 and is available to purchase from our on-line shop for £5 (including £1.50 towards the cost of postage/delivery to UK addresses). Buy it here.

Wakefield: City of Spires, Towers and Turrets

In addition, we still have copies of this trail booklet: Wakefield: a City of Spires, Towers and Turrets which looks at buildings that contribute to Wakefield’s skyline through the addition of spires, towers and turrets to their roofs.

The booklet is set out as a guide to the city centre and each includes a map to help you find the key items of interest. Each book costs just £1 and can be purchased from the Society’s on-line shop for £2 each to cover the cost of postage/delivery to a UK address. Buy them here.

Discover Wakefield Leaflets (Packs 1 and 2)

For Heritage Open Days 2021, we created four leaflets, each exploring a different aspect of Wakefield’s architectural or cultural history. The set of four leaflets can be purchased as a pack for just £1 plus £1 towards p&p from our on-line shop here. (Order pack 1)

For Heritage Open Days 2023, we added four more leaflets to our Discover Wakefield series. These new leaflets focus on additional aspects of Wakefield’s architectural history.

The set of four leaflets can be purchased as a pack for just £1 plus £1 towards p&p from our on-line shop here. (Order pack 2)

Find out more about the leaflets on our Discover Wakefield page here – you can even download copies free of charge!

Free books?!

If you join the Society, you will receive a selection of the Society’s publications (chosen by us) in your membership pack. You can now join the Society via our on-line shop here.

Find out more about the benefits of membership here.