Boundaries in an old town
Walk Pontefract's older streets and you notice the walls before the fences. Wakefield Council's appraisals of the town's conservation areas keep coming back to them: historic sandstone walling along the south side of Southgate, a long brick wall on Back Northgate that was the original boundary of the former Northgate Hospital, and brick and stone boundaries between Horsefair and Northgate that may follow medieval burgage plots, possibly built with stone reused from the castle after it was pulled down. On The Mount, a high, continuous brick wall on Love Lane encloses the rear of the gardens on the north side of the street.
So the first fencing question here is often whether a fence is the right answer at all. Behind an old wall, a fence can add height or privacy without anyone touching the wall itself. In front of a house in a conservation area, replacing a wall or hedge with panels is a different conversation.
Fencing in the conservation areas
Wakefield Council lists four conservation areas in Pontefract: the Castle, the Market Place, The Mount, and Friarwood and Button Park. The council explains that designation brings strengthened controls over minor development, and the Friarwood and Button Park appraisal names the loss of historic boundary features as one of the things that has eroded the area's character. On The Mount, the appraisal describes dwarf front walls with hedging above as a key feature, while houses on Newgate are enclosed by low brick walls with railings above.
If your house is in one of these areas and the job involves a front boundary or an old wall, speak to the council's planning team before anything is ordered. For the boundary itself, there are options that sit comfortably with old brick, such as a plain close board fence set just behind a wall, or a trellis panel that adds privacy while letting the wall stay the main feature.
Terraces, semis and new estates
Away from the historic core, most fencing jobs in Pontefract are about privacy, pets and keeping children safely in. Terraced yards are usually narrow, so panels between neighbours have to go up with little room to work, and materials may need carrying through a passage or the house. Bigger semis south of the centre often have long side and rear boundaries where a run of old panels has failed one section at a time. On newer estates such as the Prince of Wales development, built where the town's last colliery stood, the original fencing is often the first thing owners want to upgrade, usually to something taller or sturdier. If a dog is part of the reason, gaps under the panels matter as much as the height.
Each of these suits something different. A short yard boundary may only need a few well-set panels; a long garden boundary might be better as a close board run that can be repaired a bay at a time; a front garden could take a low picket. You can talk through panel styles, posts and gravel boards at the visit.
The ground under the posts
Pontefract's ground varies more than you might expect. Sand quarrying was one of the industries that helped the town's population triple in the late nineteenth century, and the Friarwood and Button Park appraisal describes sandstone cliffs on both sides of Dark Lane, with sand pits shown there on the 1891 map. Elsewhere, the deep, loamy soil that once grew the town's liquorice makes for easy digging. Loose or sandy ground needs posts set firmly so they don't lean after the first winter, and rock close to the surface can mean more work to reach the depth a post needs. A look at the site is the only way to know which you have.
When to replace a fence
Autumn and winter gales are when tired fences give up, which is also when everyone wants theirs repaired at once. If you notice posts rocking or panels splitting in summer, that is a good time to ask for a quote. Fencing also tends to come with other work. Overgrown borders along a boundary need cutting back before posts go in, and a new fence is often the moment people decide to redo the garden in front of it. Landscaping in Pontefract covers patios, paths, turfing and complete makeovers if you want to tackle both together, and garden clearance in Pontefract can clear the line first.
Asking for a quote
Call 07347 572509 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm), tell us the length of the boundary, what is there now and what you would like instead, and we will arrange a visit. Affordable Gardens & Landscapes is a family run, fully insured business based in Knottingley, just along from Pontefract, and takes on fencing for homes and commercial premises. There is more about the service on our fencing page, and everything else we cover in the town is on the Pontefract page.
