The Astronomer: Another Halifax town centre restaurant announces closure - the third in less than a month

The Astronomer, in The Piece Hall, has shut.

It is the third town centre restaurant to close in less than a month, following Pride and Provenance shutting at the end of March and Turkish restaurant Anatolia closing last weekend.

A spokesperson for The Piece Hall confirmed that The Astronomer has closed and has been “mothballed”.

The Courier revealed last month that tough economic conditions for the hospitality and events industry meant The Piece Hall Trust was having to consider the closure of one of its four eateries – The Astronomer, The Trading Rooms, Blondin’s or The Deli.

Money made from these businesses is re-invested into the upkeep of the Grade I listed building.

A spokesperson for The Piece Hall said then: “Prevailing economic conditions significantly affecting the entire hospitality and events industry mean The Piece Hall Trust is considering closing one of its outlets.

"This means it will be necessary to recalibrate costs across the trust.”

The Astronomer opened in The Piece Hall, in the site where Elder used to be, in 2022.

It described its menu as “modern British cuisine with an Asian and Mediterranean twist”.

The restaurant’s name was inspired by Sir William Herschel - astronomer and composer who was the first organist at St John the Baptist Church – now Halifax Minster - in 1762.

He constructed his first large telescope in 1774, after which he spent nine years carrying out sky surveys to investigate double stars.

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