The Upper Westgate Heritage Action Zone
Wakefield Council has been awarded £1.9m from Historic England, which will be equally matched by the council, to invest a total of nearly £4m in the regeneration of buildings in the Upper Westgate Conservation Area.
The Heritage Action Zone programme, over four years, will see investment focused on understanding and regenerating our historic buildings, along with investing in the public realm. Restoring Upper Westgate’s character and supporting the features will help make it a unique and attractive destination for residents and visitors alike.
Success of the programme will not just be measured in terms of historic fabric restored, but in the impact it has on the economic, social and cultural well-being of the place and the people who use it.
There will be a noticeable transformation to the buildings and the surrounding area of Upper Westgate during the four year project. This includes the renovation of at least 20 buildings of historic and architectural value. The historic yards will experience a facelift to make the area feel safer and more welcoming.
Wakefield Historical Society and its members are undertaking research into the history of the buildings and their former occupants using census returns, old photographs, trade directories and other historical documents in order to achieve a better understanding of how the street and its inhabitants have changed over time.
Wakefield Civic Society are contributing to the Heritage Action Zone by producing a new book about the history of the area and its buildings, and will be unveiling some new blue plaques, as well as offering guided tour of the street once Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted. Until then, the society is putting together a series of short films about the project which can be found on their Vimeo site
Edgeland Arts have been undertaking workshops and gathering memories of the high street and this will become part of an online exhibition and web resource, for people to find out about the living history of the street visit their web page.
To visit the online gallery and see images created by members of the public click on the link below:
Westgate Cultural Consortium. The consortium has bid for grant funding from the Arts Council England, and are running a separate 3 year programme of art and cultural events to raise awareness of Westgate’s unique heritage and history.
A report went to the Council Cabinet on 14 January 2020 for their approval and included a map and images of the buildings and yards. The link below will download the whole Cabinet meeting, the report starts on page 121 (Agenda item 8) and the map and images of the buildings can be found on page 135.