- published: 25 Mar 2016
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Coordinates: 53°42′58″N 1°21′22″W / 53.716°N 1.356°W / 53.716; -1.356
Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45,000-50,000. To the north the River Calder joins the River Aire and the Aire and Calder Navigation canal. To the west and south is the M62 motorway. The town is home to the rugby league Super League team Castleford Tigers.
Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Castleford and its surroundings have provided archaeological evidence of Roman activity.
Castleford is built on the site of a Roman army settlement that was named Lagentium or Legioleum. Funeral urns dating from the time of the Romans have been found there. The town's modern name is derived from the fort, Castle (referring to the fort) and Ford (a low crossing point through a river).