Wide awake


It seemed like a good idea to go to  England on the day of the Rugby World Cup Final, so we found ourselves in Wakefield, after a stress free train trip with added random acts of kindness.

Our stay was in the hotel in Holmfield Park.  We’ll need to go back to see the rhubarb sculpture, which I would have sought out had I known about it.  The grounds were well stocked with mature trees which put on a stunning autumnal display, augmented by the fireworks display at night which we also did not see, but certainly heard.

On the Sunday we managed to get ourselves and luggage to the Hepworth Museum.  This houses a permanent display of the works of Dame Barbara Hepworth, sculptor and native of the town.  The building, designed by architect David Chipperfield,* sits astride the river Calder, and the full length windows in the building give excellent vistas of the river,  in particular the weir.    It also houses exhibitions, currently on show are works of the young David Hockney and Alan Davie.  It opened in 2011 and it’s free  to visit, has storage lockers and a decent café.

Trip home was also on time, and smooth. Thanks to Tickety Split and a rail card bought with Tesco points, we saved over 50% of the original cost.

*cracking pictures if you follow the arrow on this link.

Life size maquette for work commissioned by John Lewis (Head office)
River Calder weir
Grounds of Holmfield house
Autumn 1
Autumn 2
Autumn 3
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