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The new bridge across the Aire!

The Romans had a word for it - LAGENTIUM! Even the town's modern name, Castleford, suggests this is a place with a bit of the history, and recent archaeological finds suggest there's more than a bit of truth in this theory.

However, time has not been that kind to Castleford. The pits and chemical works have gone but, now, once again the town is a hive of activity. "It's an exciting time with a lot of regeneration projects happening. From regeneration of neighbourhood parks to major refurbishment of the town centre, the scale is quite large," says Lorna Malkin, Development Officer for Castleford Regeneration Trust. Given the amount of building work around the town this is not difficult to believe.

Lorna

The first major project is a footbridge across the River Aire. While the town might owe its existence to its position on the river the 200-year-old bridge across the Aire is not designed for today's traffic and the path for pedestrians is narrow. The bridge is intended not only to link the communities on either side of the river but also make it easy for people moving into the new Millennium Village at nearby Allerton Bywater to walk into town.

Central to Castleford's regeneration is the creation of the Castleford Forum, an idea which came from the people who live in the town. Lorna explains: "The Castleford Forum is a new museum, library and community space which is being built on the site of the existing library and is due for completion in 2009-10. In 2000 a group of people got together and decided that Castleford's got a lot of rich history but there's nothing left in the town to show for it. It's either being covered over, knocked down or taken away. They formed a heritage group aimed both at getting heritage back into the town and using heritage to regenerate it. The idea was to build a space where 'heritage' items could be housed and the community could come together and hold events."

Rebuilding Castleford!

The Forum will provide a permanent resting place for a 2500-year-old chariot unearthed in 2003 by engineers working on the new A1 motorway. The chariot is believed to be part of a burial site which also held the remains of a 40-year-old man and 250 cattle. Lorna says the find is of international importance: "It's the only chariot burial found this far west so it created quite a stir when it was found." But it doesn't stop with the Chariot: "There are an awful lot of Roman finds as well. In the 1980s excavation in the town centre came up with significant Roman finds. There is a bathhouse site still in place in the town which was just covered over but, hopefully, one day it will be uncovered again. The finds from Castleford are very high quality and some are unique. Because of the clay soil, wood and textiles were very well preserved so there's a whole wealth of finds including a lot of glasswork and pottery. We are hoping they will come back into the town and be housed in the Forum."

Art is also playing its part in Castleford's regeneration. Once again the town has something of a history - the sculptor Henry Moore was born in Castleford and the town has several active artists' groups who have been involved in designing public arts pieces and heritage trails. Nothing is too daring - the construction of a 'Cratehouse for Castleford' by German artists Winter and Horbelt caused some controversy in the town in 2006. Laura thinks this is a good thing: "It's about bringing new things in to see what the reaction is and if people are talking about it, that's a good thing. You don't have to like everything. It's valuable to get the discussion going and challenge people's perceptions and ideas."

'It's about bringing new things in...'

But why do things suddenly seem to be happening in Castleford? Lorna believes it is partly the disappearance of old industry which has created new opportunities: "There were two chemical works quite close to the town centre but those have now gone so there's less restriction on development. The town is thriving really. There's a new Β£14million bus and rail interchange and a lot of housing being built. Within a few years it will be unrecognisable."

So, with little industry left in the town, is Castleford in danger of becoming just another Leeds suburb? Lorna doesn't think so: "I've worked in Castleford for 10 years and the one thing I've noticed about the town is the strength of community. There's a really strong feeling of identity and I don't think that will be lost because there's still enough of the existing community to maintain it, and things like the Forum project will hopefully educate people coming into the town and engage them in the life of the town as well."