The Piece Hall refurbishment [2017]

Halifax Piece Hall closed on 16th January 2014 for refurbishment, repairs and conservation work, carried out by Graham Construction for the Piece Hall Trust.

The work was carried out at a cost of £19 million, comprising funding from Calderdale Council, the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Wolfson Foundation, and £7 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The transformed building opened on Yorkshire Day, 1st August 2017.

Local athlete Hannah Cockroft marked the opening ceremony by ringing the restored trading bell over the west entrance at the Piece Hall.

In addition to cleaning and restoration of the structure, other features of the restored building include

• Removal of the setts in the main courtyard area – which work  caused much criticism

• Reorganising the surface and contours of the main area, and  adding steps, seats, inclines & a water feature

• Creation of a fourth exit, giving access to the Square  Chapel, the new Central Library & Archives, and a pedestrian route  to Halifax Railway Station, the renovated Calderdale Industrial  Museum & the Orangebox

The BBC television coverage of the opening told us that

• 18,000 people came into Halifax on the opening day – though it  is not clear how many of these were from beyond Calderdale

• The Banks in Halifax ran out of cash

• The Cafés & restaurants ran out of food

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