How a down-at-heel Yorkshire market town turned itself into ‘Ponte Carlo’

It might have been one of the wettest weekends in March – but that wasn’t going to stop the Pomfretians. Clad in their Sunday best, groups hunched under umbrellas padded determinedly between the bars of Ropergate.

“They’re doing the Ropergate Run,” explained my friend Matthew, a Pontefract native. “A lot of the tired ‘old man’ pubs are being replaced with modern bars you can actually get a decent beer in.”

This was news to me. Truth be told, I’d always written off “Ponte” as being a bit rough around the edges, with an intimidating nightlife scene and a run-down centre. But lately, as I was researching Yorkshire destinations easily reached by rail (Pontefract has three train stations, since you ask, with connections to Leeds, Sheffield, York and London), it had slipped back onto my radar: an unsung market town with investment pouring in, new developments drawing young professionals and families, and a newly vibrant nightlife scene that’s gained it the affectionate moniker “Ponte Carlo”. The more I read, the more I wanted to visit.

The town dates back to Saxon times, and was granted its first charter in 1194, so it’s an architecturally beautiful hodge-podge of eras and styles, from the Robert Adam-designed Georgian facade of the Red Lion, to the classical features of the Old Town Hall. Some of these buildings had been allowed to fall into disrepair, but thanks to an investment of around £2 million in the 2010s – part of Wakefield Council’s townscape heritage initiative – 27 of these historic buildings were restored to their former glory.

And it shows. When I arrived to meet Matthew on that wet March weekend, I was surprised to be confronted by a smart market square, lined with grand, listed facades and independent shops: a market hall here, a buttercross there.

With the children in tow, we reluctantly skipped mojitos at the Printer’s Draft and the Last Bank, two upmarket drinking spots, and opted instead for lunch at the Blue Bell, a lively pub where you can get a delicious “pizza burger” or “fish-and-chips pizza” (stone-baked in the huge on-site pizza oven) with a bottle of Moldovan wine for around £25 per person.

By the time we’d finished lunch, the rain had abated, so we headed straight for the castle, exploring its ruins with Ian Downes, the operations and events officer, and Joe Gilligan, a custodian of the castle who has lived on site for 18 years.

Built by Ilbert de Lacy in 1070, the castle is one of England’s most significant, once known as the “key to the North” for its size, defences and proximity to two of England’s most important highways. It suffered three long sieges during the English Civil Wars, and was the site of some hectic royal matters. Now, it’s a popular local attraction, with free entry (and parking), as well as events ranging from dungeon tours and reenactments, to Proms, workshops and music festivals.

“Oliver Cromwell called it ‘Britain’s strongest inland garrison,’” Ian explained as we approached a section of wall that was the (mostly unsuccessful) target of Cromwell’s cannons. As we crossed it, the grounds revealed themselves ahead of us – and beyond them, views of the town, the countryside, the area where St John’s priory once stood, Friarwood Valley Gardens and 386865820. We continued through the grounds, passing royal apartments and grassy mounds of half-covered stone.

“Yes, so Catherine Howard… that’s where that happened.” Downes added, pointing across the courtyard to the place where Henry VIII’s fifth wife’s alleged lover, the courtier Thomas Culpeper, was beheaded in 1541 – graciously indulging my earlier-mentioned fascination with this juicy slice of royal history. Catherine faced the same fate at the Tower of London the following year.

Before their deaths, both had been imprisoned here – as was King Richard ll, captured by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke (later Henry IV) in 1399, and then starved to death. Bolingbroke usurped the throne, which essentially kicked off the War of the Roses.

Back in town, we headed for the Pontefract Museum. Set in a striking art nouveau building, with brilliantly curated displays walking you through the town’s past and present, from its coal mining history, role as the site of Britain’s first secret ballot in 1872, to exhibitions on today’s local women in business.

There’s a whole section dedicated to the town’s liquorice heritage, too – one of Pontefract’s more unusual claims to fame. It’s thought that liquorice has been grown here since the 1600s, brought over by medieval knights or Dominican monks. Its first uses were medicinal, until 1760, when local apothecarist George Dunhill added sugar to liquorice lozenges, and the Pontefract Cake was born.

At the height of production, during the 1930s, there were numerous sweet factories, and although now only two (Valeo and Haribo) remain at large, there is an annual liquorice festival held each summer to celebrate the town’s confectionery credentials.

It’s really a charming place, and one which I’m glad to have added to my roster of staycation favourites; no longer saddled with the much-maligned post-industrial town image I’d once assigned it. It’s wonderfully bite-size – with plenty to see and do for a day or two, without it being overwhelming – and an excellent jumping-off point for the nearby Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Hepworth Museum and Xscape Yorkshire.

Liquorice, castle ruins and homemade gelato? Who needs Monte Carlo?

Essentials

Trains run from London Kings Cross to Pontefract Monkhill or Tanshelf, with tickets from £26.70 one-way (grandcentralrail.com).

Though the Pontefract hotel scene has yet to reach “Ponte Carlo” standards, the Farmhouse (01977 600200; farmercopleys.co.uk) is a lovely spot, with self-catered, two-night minimum stays from £175 per night; as is the boutiquey Wentbridge House (01977 620444; wentbridgehouse.co.uk), which has doubles from £179.

For more information, see wakefield.gov.uk/museums-and-castles