Sir Ernest Hall, visionary behind transformation of Halifax's Dean Clough, has died aged 94 after extraordinary life

Sir Ernest, best known for his work transforming the Dean Clough mill building complex in Halifax, died peacefully in his sleep on Saturday.

Sir Ernest lived an extraordinary life after being born in Bolton in 1930 to millworkers Ernest and Mary Hall. From humble beginnings, he built a multi-million-pound business empire and was an accomplished classical pianist, composer and supporter of the arts.

His musical talent as a young man led him to attend the Royal Manchester College of Music where he met his first wife, June Annable, with whom he had four children.

After building a career in the textile and property industries, in 1983 he acquired the Dean Clough site alongside entrepreneurs Jonathan Silver, Maurice Miller and his eldest son Jeremy. The former mill buildings had been home to Crossley Carpets but what was one of the world’s largest carpet factories had closed in 1982.

They gave the site a new lease of life as a space blending art and business. Now slightly more than 40 years on, the thriving 22-acre site is home to dozens of businesses, restaurants and cafes, as well as a theatre and six art galleries - along with becoming an increasingly popular filming location for shows such as Happy Valley.

Dean Clough attracted major arts organisations like the Henry Moore Foundation, Northern Broadsides, and IOU Theatre, as well as prominent business tenants including the Halifax Building Society and the NHS. He also collaborated with Vivien Duffield on the development of Eureka!, a national museum for children in Halifax close to Dean Clough.

Ernest separated from June Annable and later married Sarah Wellby in 1980, with whom he had another son, Leopold.

Great British Bake Off judge and cookery writer Prue Leith was also a former partner of Sir Ernest and she wrote about their relationship in her 2017 autobiography.

He was knighted in 1993 for his services to the arts and served as Chair of Yorkshire Arts, Chair of Northern Ballet, as well as sitting on the National Arts Council over the course of his career. Additionally, he was a Freeman of Calderdale and received 12 honorary doctorates.

Despite his numerous business endeavours, Sir Ernest maintained his love for music and became a professional pianist in later life. He recorded the entire works of Béla Bartók at 65, Chopin at 70, and Busoni at 73, and he composed two piano sonatas.

In 2007, Sir Ernest retired from Dean Clough and moved to Lanzarote, where he built a concert venue next to his home, known as the “Camel House Concerts”. He also penned an autobiography called How to be a Failure and Succeed.

Sir Ernest returned to the UK in 2021 to live with his youngest son, Leopold, and his wife Sarah.

His eldest son, Jeremy, Dean Clough’s Managing Director, said: “My father was a remarkable, memorable, enigmatic, and charismatic human being. He had an energy and zest for life which was irrepressible.

"He was still planning for what he was yet to achieve, his ambitions and aspirations undiminished by his growing years. We shared a love of work, music, and family. He was a veritable force of nature and will be sorely missed by his family and all who had the pleasure of knowing him.”

His eldest daughter, Virginia Lloyd, DL and former High Sheriff of West Yorkshire, added: “My father was an inspirational man who leaves behind a rich and diverse legacy. I am incredibly proud to have been able to call him my father, and I will miss him enormously.”

Actor Barrie Rutter, OBE, founder of Northern Broadsides, said: “Farewell friend: inspirer, advocate, performer, and champion of all that is good for the human spirit.”

Sir Ernest Hall is survived by his wife Sarah, his five children Virginia, Vivian, Jeremy, Tom, Leopold, and his 14 grandchildren.