C O N T E X T 1 2 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 2 27 sun shone into its centre, showing off the detailing of the stonework.The writer JanMorris recently described it as ‘like a Spanish plaza perhaps, or an Arab caravanserai, with some of the guarded privacy of an Oxford college, or the sudden calm majesty of a mosque in Cairo’. It is also reminiscent ofVenice’s Piazza San Marco, with the Halifax equivalent of the campanile being the remnants of the spire of the Square Church, which was ruined by fire. The Grade II listed spire seems to be acting as a signpost to all who want to find the Piece Hall. Thomas Bradley, who designed the building, was 22 years old in 1774 when the building work began.The Piece Hall was opened on 1 January 1779 as a cloth hall for the trading of ‘pieces’ of cloth, a piece being a 30-yard length of woven woollen fabric produced on a handloom. The cloth was produced in outlying cottages, hung out to dry, and brought into the Piece Hall to be sold.The value of the cloth can be judged by the punishment for theft from the drying process: execution by the gibbet (which in Halifax was a form of guillotine).The machinery still exists. It is thought that 63 men lost their heads for this crime in Halifax. Within 30 years of its opening, previously unrecognised and unforeseen changes in the way in which cloth was produced and sold rendered the Piece Hall obsolete for its initial purpose. Industrialisation took over.The next stage of the story can be experienced by moving south Tim Morris, an architect specialising in the project management of regeneration schemes, was a part of the team that prepared the bid for the Piece Hall development. While the Piece Hall still stands in a reasonable state of repair, the council has ambitions for it to be restored to become the new town square of Halifax. to the DerwentValley world heritage site in Derbyshire. It is said that in 1972 the chairman of the council’s casting vote saved the Piece Hall from demolition.Today it is a quiet space housing a variety of small shops and cafés.There are some interesting ventures, varying from shops selling things as varied as pagan artefacts and Airfix kits. Every shopkeeper and cafe proprietor will tell visitors of their version of the Piece Hall story. In some cases units are let to generations of families who are dedicated to the building. The future of the Piece Hall is now in the hands of Calderdale Council, which is committed to obtain as much funding as is possible to complete its transformation. As the antithesis to the one vote that saved the Piece Hall from demolition, earlier this year all but one member of the full council voted in favour of underwriting more than £10 million to secure its future.While its magnificent structure still stands in a reasonable state of repair, the council has ambitions for it to be restored to become the new town square of Halifax, and a vibrant and unique market place. The existing grassed and uncomfortably paved courtyard will become a European-style piazza capable of hosting events of local, regional and national importance. The architect Will Alsop correctly recognised that the problem in achieving a sustainable business plan was the current front-to-back depth of around three metres. The proposals include the use of as many extensions to the rear as possible, in order to attract better-quality operators. A recent economic resilience study of Halifax has shown that its reliance on manufacturing and banking has left the town highly exposed to economic fluctuations. What of the future of proud Halifax? The town has one of the most prestigious architectural banking buildings in Europe and a magnificent public square, potentially surrounded by an array of exciting small enterprises. Calderdale Council, responsible for the heritage-led regeneration of the town, has shown total commitment to the restoration of one of England’s most important buildings.
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