Westgate Research Group
The research group was launched at the Historical Society lecture meeting in April 2018 to encourage interested members of the Society to learn more about the collections in the Wakefield History Centre, and to become more accustomed to accessing and using archive resources in general. As a result a small group of about ten members led by Lesley Taylor met in one of the Centre’s glass soundproof rooms every week in July. As the Society was aware of Wakefield Council’s intention to form a Heritage Action Zone in Westgate, research became centred on buildings and yards in Westgate. Members of the group each chose buildings and yards according to their interest.
Since that time, the group have met regularly to share their research, and exchange ideas; at the Gissing Centre, at the Local Studies Library, by Zoom, and recently in Wakefield Civic Society’s room at the Town Hall. Sources of information have included censuses, maps, newspapers, electoral rolls, trade directories, original documents at West Yorkshire History Centre, and oral history and reminiscences. Although the group has provided information about individual buildings and yards in the Heritage Action Zone, they have researched more widely to discover the development and changes on Upper Westgate as a whole.
Their research has been provided to Wakefield Council HAZ project, Wakefield Civic Society and the Cultural Consortium. A series of leaflets have been published, talks for West Yorkshire Archives Network and for Heritage Open Days have been given, with displays about their research.
The coverage of the buildings in the Heritage Action Zone and other Westgate buildings is as follows:
Gill Hutchinson: HSBC Bank to Carter Street including the plots/yards
Shirley Levon: Elephant and Castle to Smyth Street, and 80 Westgate
Denise Thorpe: Hoffmans on lower South side to end of old buildings to west.
Lorraine Simpson: Silver Street
Pam Judkins: Black Swan Yard.
Lesley Taylor: Barstow Square into Silver Street
Julie Trueman: Cornhill Hotel,1830 to modern day
Linda Smith: Westgate Studios, Union Bank, White Horse and Yard, Ingram House, Albion Court and Bank Street.
Derick Smith: Picture House 82-86, Thompson’s yard (not Gissing House), Flares, Nat West bank.
David Scriven: Gissing House, Pemberton House
Ken Rowley: Black Horse.
Marc Harrison: The Manor Bakehouse and Marygate