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Written by The McCarthy's Team on March 26, 2020

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Some news caught our eye the other day saying that Wakefield is now one of the fastest growing cities in the North. There was an eight per cent growth in new homes built there between 2011 and 2019, which actually put it on a level pegging with our capital city London.

Of course, we are big fans of the city, which is home to McCarthy’s Storage World Wakefield. What’s not to love? The people are friendly, it has lots of amenities, it’s surrounded by lovely countryside and pretty villages, has good transport links and is conveniently located for lots of other Yorkshire cities such as Leeds and Sheffield.

Wakefield lies on the north bank of the river Calder and has a long and prosperous history. Besides the historic town of Wakefield itself, the city and metropolitan borough encompasses the towns of Ossett, Horbury, Normanton, Featherstone, Castleford, Pontefract and Hemsworth, as well as villages and areas of open countryside. The first written reference to Wakefield is in the Domesday Book of 1086 (although it was referred to as Wachefeld and Wachefelt). Long before that the area was home to Brigantes, Romans, Angles and Vikings. Interestingly, Wakefield was dubbed the “Merrie City” in the Middle Ages (maybe we should go back to that!).

The wool industry for which Wakefield was so famous began sometime in the 15^th Century, although there were wool markets taking place even before that. By the 18th century, Wakefield traded in corn, coal mining and textiles, making the most of its navigable position on the River Calder. On the outskirts of the town, coal had been dug since the 15th century but during the 19th century there were 46 small mines in Wakefield and the surrounding area. The National Coal Board eventually became Wakefield’s largest employer – and the history and stories (and even a trip down a mine) can be discovered at the city’s wonderful National Coal Mining Museum.

Other great things to do in Wakefield include The Hepworth Wakefield art gallery named in honour of local sculptor, Barbara Hepworth which opened in 2011. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the village of West Bretton is one of the world’s leading open-air galleries and is currently home to an exhibition of work from Damien Hirst. Nostell Priory and Sandel Castle both fall within the boundaries. The Cathedral, which has the tallest spire in Yorkshire, is also worth a look, acquiring its cathedral status in 1888.

Back in 2015 we opened McCarthy’s Storage World self storage centre in Wakefield, having been looking for a suitable location in the city for some time. We finally found the perfect spot – a former Magnet Kitchen showroom and John Peters furniture store on the bustling road of Kirkgate. It had been empty for several years so it was nice to be able to give the building a new lease of life!

Spread over two floors our Wakefield self storage centre offers units ranging in size from a phone box to a double garage. There’s access as and when you need it, and your items are kept safe and secure – only you have the key and a unique pin code to enter the building. The storage caters for both personal and business customers and provides flexibility and a cost effective solution for those needing extra space.

For more information why not drop us an email on wakefield@mccarthysstorageworld.co.uk