Apart from the years she spent studying at Oxford, Kate Taylor has lived in Wakefield ever since her birth in 1933\. A teacher and Open University tutor by profession, she has served in a voluntary capacity as the press officer for a range of local organisations and has been president of Wakefield Civic Trust. Her first books were the two volumes of Wakefield District Heritage (1970s). Since then she has made detailed studies of Wakefield's chantry chapel, theatres and cinemas. For Wharncliffe, she has edited three volumes of Aspects of Wakefield and two Foul Deeds books. Kate is president of Wakefield Historical Society and The Friends of Wakefield Chantry Chapel, and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.