London - Wakefield - Nurseborough - Harrogate

To be honest, Wakefield is not the most interesting or beautiful town in Britain. It was once an active producer of wool and cattle, but after coal deposits were discovered in the vicinity, most of Wakefield's residents went to work in the mines. In a very short time they became major "employers" and operated until 1982.

There are few surviving attractions in Wakefield. However, it is worth stopping by to visit the Barbara Hepworth Gallery, built in 2011 on the banks of the Calder River. The minimalist building is striking in its scale: it was designed by British architect David Chipperfield, who won the prestigious RIBA Competitions. According to official figures, it cost the local council £35 million to build the gallery, and within five weeks of opening it had been visited by a hundred thousand people.
The gallery was built in Wakefield not accidentally: it was here that one of the most famous British women sculptors of the XX century was born. In her youth Barbara entered the Yorkshire School of Art in Leeds and then studied at the Royal College of Art in London. Full of air and light, the gallery houses artworks created by her: drawings, paintings, abstract sculptures in stone and wood. Some were donated by collectors, while others came from members of the Hepworth family. You can also see the artist's reconstructed studio - the original was in the town of St. Ives, where a memorial museum is now open.