Booklets about Westgate buildings
As part of our research on Westgate, booklets have been printed about many of the buildings in the project. These short-run printed booklets have been distributed to libraries, building owners and other people who have been involved.
PDFs of the booklets have been added to this page and can be downloaded for use in private research. Please note that they are copyright of the individual authors.
North side of Westgate
The Black Swan and Yard. Please note this has not been printed as a booklet, and is not intended as a history of the Black Swan. It is a gathering of references to the Black Swan and yard from a variety of sources including an article by Nancy B Lockwood (NBL) which appeared in the magazine ‘The Old West Riding’ (Wakefield Library).
A list of Black Swan and Yard Censuses is available separately.
The results of tree-ring dating on timbers from 6-8 Silver Street (The Black Swan) has been published in a report by Historic England: Tree-ring dating at 6-8 Silver Street
60-62 Westgate and Gissing House
82-84 Westgate New Picture House
South side of Westgate
61 and 63 Westgate, The White Horse
65 Westgate, Bank to Nightclub
97 & 99 Westgate, Coopers Arms, Great Northern
109 Westgate, The Elephant and Castle
111-113 Westgate Hofmanns butchers
Other short articles
The articles below, written by members of the Research Group, are about some of the buildings and people who lived on Westgate. They include both those in the Heritage Action Zone and other buildings,
All articles are copyright of the authors and Wakefield Historical Society.
Harper Soulby occupied the house and warehouse at 72 Westgate, the other corner of Cheapside to his brother John at 70 Westgate. The brothers were in partnership as wool-staplers.
George Webster, born in 1838, founded a successful grocery business in Wakefield, His family were Quakers, and he had been apprenticed with the Rowntree family of York. George Webster owned several shops, including one on the corner of Cheapside and Westgate where the family lived until shortly before his death in 1912. After his death the business was inherited by his two sons who expanded the business.
William Hey Dykes (1792-1864) became the manager of the Wakefield and Barnsley Union Bank whose bank premises were at no. 65 Westgate, in November 1841. They lived in White Horse Yard, presumably in premises immediately behind the Bank. They had nine sons and five daughters who were involved in many aspects of life in Wakefield and Hull; the most famous being John Bacchus Dykes who wrote a number of very well-known hymn tunes.
Prior to the building of the HSBC bank at the top of Westgate, an attorney, Henry Shaw, owned the plots during the mid 18th century. After his death his son-in-law, John Maw inherited the property.
80 Westgate, now Rafikees, was for many years at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th occupied by Tansley’s Wine Stores. John Tansley had worked for William Fennell for over 22 years when he started his own business, advertising T.O.G (Tansley’s Old Glenlivet whisky)
A Brief History of the Marriott Business
Although the Marriott’s mill at the bottom of Westgate no longer exists, the story of both the mill and the family business is an important part of Westgate’s history. This article describes the development of the business, the rifts that occurred within the family, and has been enhanced by information from their descendants