Piece Hall will open gates on Yorkshire Day

At 10am on August 1, the bell above the historic Grade I-listed building’s west gate will ring out to echo the first day of trading at the former Cloth Hall on January 1, 1779.

It will be a momentous day in the history of The Piece Hall, marking the transition of the management of the building from the council to the Piece Hall Trust and celebrating the restoration of one of Calderdale’s most spectacular landmarks.

Council leader Tim Swift said it would become “the place to be”.

“There can’t be a more fitting date for the re-opening of The Piece Hall than Yorkshire Day, when we celebrate all that is great about our county,” he said.

“The transformation programme was about restoring and preserving The Piece Hall for future generations, but also about adapting an 18th Century trading hall into a world class venue for the 21st Century, which will attract visitors from the UK and beyond. I’m confident people will be very impressed at the high quality restoration as soon as they come through the gates and, having seen The Piece Hall Trust’s exciting plans for the building it has a very bright future. It will become the place to be.”

Nicola Chance-Thompson, chief executive of The Piece Hall Trust added: “This is a major moment for The Piece Hall and the region. We are looking forward to welcoming visitors who already know and love the building, as well as meeting first time visitors. There is no place like it and we are encouraging entrepreneurs and independent business owners to contact us as we build momentum towards opening. We have a host of exciting retailers already signed up - and we’ll be able to make announcements soon - now is a great moment for businesses to join us in another important milestone in the fascinating history of this place. That The Piece Hall is an architectural gem is without question - together we will launch it as one of the most exceptional heritage, leisure and cultural destinations in the country.”

Independent businesses from the food and drink, retail and leisure sectors, keen to be a part of the building’s renaissance are being encouraged to step forward to join an “exciting” list of tenants already signed up.

Details of retailers and the programme of events taking place throughout the summer are to be released soon. Those interested in finding out more should contact the commercial team on [email protected]/01422 525200 or visit www.thepiecehall.co.uk/to-let

The Piece Hall transformation project has been funded jointly by Calderdale Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as support from the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Wolfson Foundation.