Wakefield Castle, Medieval castle remains in Thornes Park, Wakefield, England
Wakefield Castle is a scheduled monument in Thornes Park, near Wakefield town center in England, made up of an earthen mound roughly 30 feet (9 meters) high with a square inner bailey around its base. The remains sit close to the River Calder and are now part of the wider park landscape.
The site was commissioned by a local nobleman in the mid-12th century, during the civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda. It appears to have been built without formal royal permission and was abandoned before it could be finished.
The mound in Thornes Park is passed daily by people walking dogs or enjoying the green space, most without knowing its medieval origin. The name Wakefield Castle points to how such earthworks once signaled authority over the surrounding land.
The site is reached through Thornes Park, which is walkable from Wakefield town center and has easy footpaths throughout. Entry is free all year and no booking is needed.
Excavations in 1953 showed that the earthwork was most likely never completed and never served as a home or seat of administration. This makes it one of the few medieval fortifications in England that remained an unfinished building site from the very start.
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