A Trip to Wakefield

The interior of the Chantry Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin

After a month spent investigating mediaeval churches in north-east Derbyshire, finishing at Barlborough, my next day out was with a friend from my Writing Group at Sheffield Library to Wakefield, when we attended a craft market at the Hepworth gallery. 

The weir on the River Calder at the Hepworth

While taking in the view of the weir on the River Calder from the Hepworth, I could see a sign outside the Chantry Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin. This is one of only four bridge chapels left in England and although I had passed by it a few times before, it had never been open and so we went to investigate. 

The south elevation of the Chantry Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin

The exterior, although much more ornate than the Chapel of Our Lady on the Bridge in Rotherham, was extensively restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1848 – only for the front to be renewed again c.1940 - and I was therefore very interested to see what its interior looked like. 

A detail inside the chapel

Unlike the chapel in Rotherham, whose pews, altar rail and altar give it the feeling of a miniature church, the layout is more informal with removable chairs and simple fittings; however, it has a lot of intricately carved stonework – including head stops to the windows, a niche with a statue in the south-east corner and the doorway to the crypt – but this is again all part of the 1848 restoration. 

The spiral staircase to the crypt

Descending by an extremely narrow spiral staircase into the crypt, the condition is much better than its counterpart in Rotherham and it was well lit and used to exhibit various artwork and ceramics at the time of our visit. 

The crypt

Finishing our quick tour of the chapel, we then crossed back over the road to investigate the bank of the River Calder, where there is the Grade II* Listed Calder and Hebble Navigation Warehouse and a short section of the Calder and Hebble Navigation canal. 

The Calder and Hebble Navigation Warehouse

The river was once lined with wharves but, although some of the associated industries still exist, the area is being redeveloped and the warehouse has now been converted into offices and blocks of flats have replaced many of them. 

The Calder and Hebble Navigation

On this occasion, we didn’t have the time to explore the centre of Wakefield but, as it was only a short diversion on the way home, we stopped off at Sandal Castle, which was undergoing conservation work. Although, like Pontefract Castle, very little of the structure remains, it is set on high ground overlooking the River Calder and it is worth visiting just for the views that can be had from the top of the motte.

A view from the motte at Sandal Castle