Wakefield

It's been a while but hopefully I'm back on track now- the plan to walk more suffered during the rather damp summer. 

Wakefield, the administrative centre for the West Riding, became a city in 1888 which meant that its parish church became a cathedral.   It's a small but perfectly formed building filled with angels .  It also has the tallest spire in Yorkshire.  It's 247 ft (49m) high. It's a useful tool to help pedestrians find their bearings if they get lost. I enjoyed finding the medieval carvings of animals and green men.  The striking rood screen with its crouching hare carving dates from the seventeenth century.  The cathedral was an excellent reason for revisiting Wakefield but although its shopping centre is being redeveloped it currently isn't a shopper's paradise. 

I paused for a while to enjoy the modern fountain outside the tourist information office then set off to find the Hepworth Art Gallery.  The building wasn't quite what I was expecting -  but then what do I know about modern architecture?  The interior more than lived up to expectations.  There's over 1,600 square metres of exhibition space making it the largest purpose built art space outside London - and its in Wakefield!  The reason, well, Dame Barbara Hepworth was born in Wakefield.