Yorkshire is steeped in industrial heritage as a result of being at the heart of the industrial revolution. This rich history results in impressive architecture, canals and waterways. Nowhere is this more evident than Halifax where the stunning and unique Piece Hall stands as a testament to the wool trade.
The Piece Hall in Halifax is architecturally stunning and now unique. It is a witness to Yorkshire’s industrial heritage and worth a visit to Halifax.
This guide to Halifax, its stunning Piece Hall and industrial heritage will cover:
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How to get to Halifax
Halifax is easily reached by train in under an hour from Manchester or Leeds and the railway station in Halifax is an easy walk from the centre of town.
The main reason I stopped in Halifax was to visit the Piece Hall but there are other attractions also worth stopping for that show case Halifax’s industrial heritage.
The Piece Hall
The Piece Hall is a Grade I listed Georgian masterpiece and the oldest remaining Georgian cloth hall in the world! It is architecturally stunning and worth a stop in Halifax in its own right.
Rising proudly in the centre of Halifax, the Piece Hall has been part of the town’s story since 1779. It began life as a bustling marketplace where handloom weavers sold “pieces” — 30‑yard lengths of woollen kersey cloth. More than 300 small rooms lined the courtyard, each rented by clothiers who stored their fabric there between the weekly Saturday markets.
As the Industrial Revolution gathered pace, powered machinery and factory production reshaped the textile world. The independent clothiers who once filled the Piece Hall gradually disappeared, and the building’s original purpose faded with them. By 1871, this grand Georgian structure had reinvented itself as a lively wholesale market for fish, fruit, and vegetables — another chapter in its long, ever‑evolving life.
Now the Piece Hall is a unique shopping and entertainment space with bars and cafes around the magnificent, enclosed square. Go up a level or two and you can walk around the spectacular galleried building, looking out over the square a bit like the colosseum. This is where you will find independent, quirky shops as well as a couple of small exhibitions that explore the history of the Piece Hall and its central role in the trade and expansion of the Halifax.
Top Tip: The huge central square of the Piece Hall is now used for music gigs, mainly over the summer when you can catch some big name bands performing. So plan your trip accordingly.
Calderdale Industrial Museum
After a mooch around the shops and a bite to eat at one of the eateries at the Piece Hall venture next door and visit the Calderdale Industrial Museum which houses a collection of machinery from the industrial revolution. Some of the machines are the only surviving examples in the country.
Halifax Borough Market
Having worked up a bit more of an appetite take the short walk into town to Halifax Borough Market, voted the best in Britain. It’s a thriving Grade II* listed Victorian market hall with a warm and friendly atmosphere. Take a Taste of Halifax: Borough Market Food Tour to experience market life and learn about the rich history of Borough Market and explore the food and drink on offer from Halifax and around the world.
If the Piece Hall, Industrial Museum and Borough Market have whetted your appetite then consider exploring further with Halifax Heritage Tours that offer tours of lesser known parts of Halifax as well as private tours for small groups that can be tailored to suit your requirements.
Things to do near Halifax
Hebden Bridge is only a short train journey from Halifax and serves as a jumping off point for Brontë country. It is easy to cover both Halifax and Hebden Bridge in the same day.
Halifax also features on my ‘6 day best of Yorkshire itinerary’ which takes in the best that Yorkshire has to offer.