The Piece Hall in Halifax is a Grade I listed building. It was built as a cloth hall for handloom weavers to sell the woollen cloth "pieces" they had produced (hence the name Piece Hall). It opened on 1 January 1779, with 315 separate rooms arranged around a massive central open courtyard.
The industrial revolution saw a shift away from small producers and traders, with new larger mills in the Halifax area trading directly with merchants and exporters. After years of decline, the Piece Hall was acquired from the trustees in 1868 by Halifax Corporation. They converted it into a wholesale market hall and some of the small rooms were combined to make larger shop units.
In 1971, after The Piece Hall had become seen as unsuitable for a wholesale market, the businesses were dispersed elsewhere through the town and demolition of the then two-century-old building was considered. Government grants were made available and the Halifax Corporation received funding to make the building a tourist attraction.The courtyard was landscaped, some walls were removed from the original rooms to create shops, and a new museum–art gallery was opened on the east side. The new Piece Hall opened on 3 July 1976. The museum–art gallery closed in 1998.
The Piece Hall closed in 2014 for a further major restoration, with reopening in August 2017. The 66,000-square-foot (6,100 m2) open-air piazza is planned to combine bars, restaurants, cafés and shops, while the central area of the courtyard is intended to host a programme of events including concerts, theatre, markets and sporting events.
It is an impressive space to explore. This shot shows a small section of the north side of the square. The new paving and steps can be distinguished from the older parts of the building by the different colour of the stone. I was impressed by the number of visitors there yesterday.
Great view on and capture off this beautiful building. Great history too. WE share a lot of it as our town Veere was famous for the woole trade with Gr. Br.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are as always very much appreciated.
Halifax is in some ways an unlikely tourist destination. It was once a major weaving and carpet making centre, with mills along the valley. It also has a major confectionary factory. The other thing it has is some wonderful Victorian architecture, and the Tourist Information Centre in the Piece Hall has an excellent town trail booklet for sale, with lots of information about what you see on the route.
Great symmetry and composition
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are as always very much appreciated.
Halifax is in some ways an unlikely tourist destination. It was once a major weaving and carpet making centre, with mills along the valley. It also has a major confectionary factory. The other thing it has is some wonderful Victorian architecture, and the Tourist Information Centre in the Piece Hall has an excellent town trail booklet for sale, with lots of information about what you see on the route.
Ian
Thank you Vesna - I enjoyed exploring this building.
Ian