Share your memories of the Piece Hall

My memory isn’t really mine - I was too young. But my mum tells me about how we used to go there when I was little. She and my Grandma would explore the shops and markets - Gina B’s glass shop a favourite like it was for many others - whilst my sisters and I would play in the courtyard with my Grandad, no doubt us all running him ragged!

For Anna, our Office Administrator, her first memory is taking to the stage in a country dancing showcase with the Girls’ Brigade at around 10 years old, performing to the crowds on a family fun day. Later, another highlight was Party in The Piece Hall with the one and only Chesney Hawkes as headliner.

Then there’s Amy, our Commercial Director, whose many memories include as a teenager browsing the record store for the next ‘must have’ vinyl. Even forming a band with her mates - a fourteen-strong outfit that should have been the next big thing.

We’ve met market traders who had stalls there back in the days when the Grade I Listed building was a wholesale market, and a contractor who worked on the 1970s refurb, painstakingly restoring every window - well over 3,000 panes of glass.

We’ve met generations of the same family all sharing their memories. Mums, dads, sons, daughters, grandparents and grandchildren.

We’ve heard stories that have gained mythical status including a mysterious handprint in the stone; stories of Georgian thieves and scoundrels, and those who passionately protected the space preserving it for generations to come.

Now, we want to hear more. Do you have a story to tell? Do you have a piece of memorabilia you can show us? Do you have photographs or videos you can share?

On Friday 5 and Saturday 6 May we’ll have a pop up shop in the Woolshops Shopping Centre where you can share your stories and memorabilia. Alternatively, you can share them at thepiecehall.co.uk/memories. Stories will be shared as part of our reopening celebrations.