A commission by Wakefield Council to undertake a feasibility study celebrating Pontefract Castle.
Once one of the most feared castles in England, Pontefract Castle has very little presence in the landscape today. From the only surviving contemporary drawing (the Elizabethan Survey), similar contemporary D shaped towers and surviving archaeological remains I designed a full-scale replica of Pontefract Castle gatehouse, to be constructed out of scaffolding and cloth and lit by projections.
Unfortunately, the costs rocketed and even if build would have had very little impact outside the castle grounds.
The next proposal, a beam of light projected from the castle keep, would have more presence and would be seen from a 20-mile radius, once more dominating the landscape.
To date, only my rough artist’s impression remains.
tony wade 