Brief history of Upper Westgate
The site of Wakefield was established in pre-Norman times at a bridging point of the river Calder. Three main routes led into the town from north, south and west. The route west along the Calder valley and into the Pennines was of particular importance after the Conquest because the town was at the heart of the great Manor of Wakefield which extended westward and south westward and covered over one hundred square miles. The Lord’s tenants came to regular courts in Wakefield as jurors, to transfer property and land, and to check their copyhold ownership.
Records of Westgate exist from the early medieval period in the Wakefield manor court rolls which date from 1275, in early town charters and in deeds. For administrative purposes the town was divided into areas based round the three main streets, Northgate, Westgate and Kirkgate. Westgate included today’s Little Westgate and part of Upper Kirkgate. The king or the lords of the manor granted markets and fairs to encourage the development of trade organised by the townspeople, who had trading rights and the distinct status of burgesses. They owned burgages, long thin plots of land between the main streets and their back lanes with a narrow street frontage. This organisation of the building and land nearest to the centre of town has influenced development there until today and much Westgate development still follows burgage lines. The earliest detailed maps of the town are the Enclosure surveyor’s maps of the 1790s which show long narrow gardens or crofts behind the buildings.
Across each main street were gates or gatehouses at which market tolls were collected for the lord of the manor. The gate across Westgate was a considerable structure across the street next to the present Black Horse.
Westgate was the route into and through the town for goods passing between the upland western areas, which were mainly unsuitable for arable farming, and the more fertile south and east. From 1706 when the Aire and Calder Navigation was opened, access by sea to east coast centres including London, and to the Continent, brought a great variety of goods through Wakefield. As cloth-making developed to the west the rapidly growing population there required large amounts of corn and wool from the eastern counties which led to thriving markets and businesses in Wakefield.
In the mid-18th century the raw wool market was held in the open where later the Picture House was built. Cottage industries of spinning and weaving developed in the Pennine communities around Halifax and later Huddersfield. Packhorses and wagons fetched the woven cloth up Westgate into Wakefield to be finished in yards and workshops along the street. Wakefield cloth merchants made their fortunes and built large mansions down Westgate, some of which still exist. By the beginning of the 19th century there was need for more warehousing for the sorting of wool, so yards and streets like Cheapside were opened up and new warehouses built behind the street frontages. Meanwhile the cloth trade developed more rapidly in other West Riding towns and Wakefield’s pre-eminence gradually declined.
By the 19th century Wakefield possessed the largest corn market in northern England. Until 1820, sacks of corn were displayed and sold every Friday in the open air at the top of Westgate. In 1820 a Corn Exchange was built facing down Westgate. A new and much more substantial Corn Exchange was opened in 1838 between Market Street and Queen Street and enlarged in 1863-4. By the end of the 19th century trade was declining. Later the saloon upstairs was turned into a cinema, the ground floor became a billiard hall and shops, before it was eventually demolished in 1962.
Traditionally much retail was carried on through markets, fairs and travelling pedlars, but fixed shops such as grocers, butchers and fishmongers gradually became more common serving basic needs. As Wakefield and the West Riding’s prosperity grew there was more demand for high quality goods. On Westgate, businesses such as drapers, milliners, jewellers, booksellers and musical instrument sellers competed for custom. In 1867 food prices peaked and prison officers formed the Co-operative Society in Bank Street and in 1901 Unity Hall and the Smyth St extension was built. In 1962 it was transferred to Barnsley Co-operative Society but in 1971 it closed and the building was sold to Wakefield Corporation. By the 20th century the common practice of living above the shop was declining, and many became lock-up shops with the rest of the building converted to store-rooms or rented accommodation. Towards the end of the century retail parks on the edge of town and new malls like the Ridings Shopping Centre and Trinity Walk, further hastened the decline as small independent businesses struggled to survive.
Westgate has always had a reputation for its numerous inns and public houses. Large inns like the Great Bull provided accommodation for the many people who came into Wakefield for business and leisure. Their yards offered stabling, and space for waggons and other forms of transport. Modest alehouses like the Black Horse catered for the local workforce who wished to relax with workmates and friends over a glass of beer. Both inns and alehouses often had their own brewhouses which disappeared when the large brewery companies took over. Rooms where auctions and inquests could be held and groups such as the freemasons could meet were sometimes available. Gambling was prevalent, a number of Westgate inns had cockpits, and later billiards and bagatelle gave opportunities for betting. Singing was popular and many public houses had regular pianists and vocalists. During the 20th century the ‘Westgate run’, became well-known – drinking a pint in every public house the length of Westgate. In Upper Westgate the night-time economy flourished with new bars and nightclubs opening, and fast-food shops to provide food after a night out.
Other opportunities for entertainment were plentiful. Travelling theatre companies performed in the inn yards, and in 1776 a permanent theatre was established which was rebuilt in 1894 as the present Theatre Royal. Concerts were a regular feature at the Corn Exchange and concerts and dances took place in Unity Hall throughout the 20th century. The arrival of the cinema led to the building of the Picture House in 1913, becoming a bingo hall in the mid 20th century and later a nightclub.
More serious pursuits were catered for by chapels and schools. Westgate Chapel, set back from the main street, was built in 1752 – the earliest non-conformist chapel still existing in Wakefield. Two Methodist chapels were established in the 19th century on opposite sides of Market Street, the United Methodist Chapel, and the Ebenezer Chapel. The charitable Green Coat School opened in 1705 next to Westgate Chapel, moving elsewhere in 1775. Other schools existed for short periods of time, such as in the Orangery on Back Lane. Lectures and classes were provided at the Corn Exchange, and a reading room was available on Silver Street, and at the Church Institute on Marygate.
The opening of a new railway station for the Great Northern Railway on the south side of Westgate in 1856 marked a great change for the street: passengers and beasts for the market arrived at the station. in 1867 it moved to the north side, and in the 21st century was moved from Westgate to its present position. From 1904 regular trams ran from Agbrigg and Sandal to the Bullring, continuing on down Westgate via Horbury to Ossett. The last tram ran in July 1932. In the late 19th century, horse cabs could be hired from a stand at the top of Westgate, and horse omnibuses ran from the same area. With the advent of motor cars and buses, this became a bus stop and taxi rank.
Commercial banking developed in the late 18th century and Wakefield’s prosperity was evident by the number of banks and building societies that were established during the 19th century. These dealt with businesses rather than ordinary people, and therefore were more subject to national periods of boom and bust. Gradually larger banks absorbed smaller ones and their impressive buildings were erected to display their importance, some of which remain on Westgate, converted to other uses. Now only the HSBC and the NatWest remain.
The character of Westgate has seen many changes; the years of thriving markets, the homes of rich merchants and financial institutions have passed, but nightclubs, bars and fast-food shops remain. The lack of permanent residents has led to the buildings and yards falling into disrepair, with once-prestigious buildings presenting a sorry aspect. It is to be hoped that the Heritage Action Zone will provide a new beginning for this historic street.