Quick answer
Pontefract Museum is a free indoor museum in Pontefract town centre, with hands-on fun for families and the story of the town’s liquorice. It suits a rainy day. Entry is free, with no booking and no ticket. It is closed on Sundays and bank holidays. Liquorice Santa visits on Saturday 5 December 2026 only, 10.30am to 3.30pm, free with no booking. There is no café, and food and drink are not allowed in the galleries.
Is it right for my child?
- Hands-on fun: the museum’s family page lists dressing up, a rocking horse, becoming a market trader, and free trails to find star objects.
- Racing and markets: children can put on racing silks, ride the rocking horse and race champion horse Screwdriver. A recreated Buttercross lets them become market traders.
- Treasure and sweets: the Ackworth Hoard holds nearly 600 gold and silver coins from the English Civil Wars. Children can make a rubbing of a raised replica coin. A display shows the many packaging designs for Pontefract Cakes.
- Older children: see the ballot box from Britain’s first secret ballot in 1872, sealed with a liquorice stamp.
- Sensory notes: some exhibition spaces have low light to protect delicate objects, including the Pontefract Art Club exhibition. Films play out loud into the galleries, with no headphones. The fire alarm is tested at 10.30am on Tuesdays.
Plan your visit: a parent’s checklist
- Check the day: open Monday to Friday 10am to 4.30pm and Saturday 10.30am to 4.30pm. Closed on Sundays and bank holidays.
- No ticket needed: entry is free for everyone, and you do not need to book.
- Plan food: there is no café and no lunch space. Please do not take food and drink into the galleries.
- Download the visual story, floor plan and sensory map before you go. Floor plans and sensory maps are also at the Pick and Mix station.
- Park nearby: the museum names Stuart Road car park, WF8 4PQ, at £2.60 for up to 4 hours.
Prices and tickets
Pontefract Museum is free to everyone, all year round. You do not need to book or have a ticket.
- Family Fun: free craft activities every Saturday, 11am to 3pm, from 23 May to 19 December 2026. The event page says families with children aged 3 and over, free, no booking. Themes change each week.
- Museum Minis: free sessions for children aged 2 to 5 and their families, Mondays 11.15am to 12.15pm, until 14 December 2026, no booking. The event page lists November dates (themed Showtime) and 7 and 14 December (Toys and games).
- Pontefract Art Club exhibition: free, no booking, from 19 October to 12 December 2026.
Pushchairs, babies and toilets
- Step-free: the museum has step-free access to enter and level access throughout. The main entrance has a pair of non-automatic doors, with a bell if you need help.
- Doors: the double doors into the main gallery are a little heavy. Staff in the welcome space can help you open them.
- Pushchairs: you can take a pushchair around the whole museum. There is no dedicated pushchair storage. The Reference Room and Glass Room are smaller and can be tighter for a pushchair.
- Toilets: an accessible toilet sits along the corridor between the foyer and the Glass Room, with no radar key needed. More toilets are at the back, through the temporary exhibition gallery.
- Baby changing: there is a baby changing facility inside the museum.
- Breastfeeding: the museum says you can breastfeed anywhere on site.
Food and drink
There is no café inside Pontefract Museum, and no dedicated lunchroom or space on site. Please do not take food and drink into the galleries, because it helps protect historic objects. The museum says the nearest cafés are in the town centre, a short distance away. It also says Pontefract Castle is a ten-minute walk away and has picnic benches around the site.
Getting there and parking
The address is Pontefract Museum, Salter Row, Pontefract WF8 1BA, in the town centre. The museum’s What3Words code is task.noble.terms.
- Bus: the museum is 0.2 miles from Pontefract Bus Station.
- Train: the museum names three Pontefract stations. Baghill is 0.4 miles away, on the route between York and Sheffield. Monkhill and Tanshelf are each 0.6 miles away, on the route from Leeds and Wakefield.
- Parking: the museum names Stuart Road car park (used for Morrisons and Tesco), WF8 4PQ, as the nearest. It is 0.3 miles away, costs £2.60 for up to 4 hours and has a 4-hour maximum stay.
- Blue Badge: the museum names the same car park as the nearest accessible parking, with 15 disabled spaces.
When to visit
Opening hours are Monday to Friday 10am to 4.30pm, and Saturday 10.30am to 4.30pm. It is closed on Sundays and bank holidays. The museum says it is generally quieter on weekdays during school hours. It can be louder at weekends, in late afternoons and in school holidays.
Liquorice Santa, Saturday 5 December 2026, 10.30am to 3.30pm: meet Santa in his Liquorice grotto and receive a Christmas gift. The event page also lists festive crafts and activities, and a new trail to find the punchline to a joke. It is completely free with no booking, but you may have to queue at busy times.
The official pages give no separate Christmas or New Year opening times. They say only that the museum is closed on bank holidays.
Additional needs and disability support
Wakefield Museums and Castles publishes detailed access pages for Pontefract Museum. You can also email or phone the museum before your visit.
- Relaxed openings: every Tuesday, 2pm to 4pm. Loud noises are turned down or off, with fidget and sensory objects, ear defenders and a small pop-up tent quiet space. Entry is still free, with no booking.
- Pick and Mix station: just inside the entrance, with fidget toys, coloured lenses and ear defenders in child and adult sizes. You can fill a backpack to carry round, then return it.
- Visual story, floor plan and sensory map to download, plus sequence cards similar to PECS cards. The museum also has an Easy Read guide for the main galleries.
- Staff: the museum says most staff have attended Makaton Awareness, Visual Impairment, Sighted Guided and Autism Awareness training.
- Hearing loop and step-free access throughout. Only assistance dogs and guide dogs are allowed.
- No Changing Places toilet: the museum names the nearest one at Junction 32 Outlet Shopping Village, WF10 4FR, 2 miles away.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pontefract Museum free for children?
Yes. Pontefract Museum is free for everyone, all year round. You do not need to book or have a ticket.
Is Pontefract Museum good for toddlers?
There is dressing up, a rocking horse and a toy market stall. Museum Minis on Mondays are for ages 2 to 5, and Saturday crafts are for children aged 3 and over.
When is Liquorice Santa at Pontefract Museum?
Saturday 5 December 2026, 10.30am to 3.30pm. It is free with no booking, but you may have to queue at busy times.
Is Pontefract Museum open on Sundays?
No. It is closed on Sundays and bank holidays. It opens Monday to Friday 10am to 4.30pm and Saturday 10.30am to 4.30pm.
Is Pontefract Museum good for autistic children?
It runs a relaxed opening every Tuesday, 2pm to 4pm, and has a visual story, sensory map and ear defenders. The museum says weekdays during school hours are generally quieter.
Can we eat at Pontefract Museum?
There is no café and no lunch space, and food and drink are not allowed in the galleries. The museum points to town centre cafés and the picnic benches at Pontefract Castle.
Checked on 13 November 2026 against the official Wakefield Museums and Castles (Wakefield Council) pages for planning your visit, families, access, things to do and Liquorice Santa. Prices and times can change, so check before you travel.
