Paralympian sounds the bell as Halifax's own Piece Hall finally re-opens

The Grade I listed building closed in 2014 for a £19m restoration, but the project, which had been due for completion a year ago, was hit by a series of delays.

However, those obstacles were forgotten yesterday as Paralympian Hannah Cockroft sounded the Piece Hall’s famous bell and the new shops, restaurants and bars began to serve their first customers.

The Piece Hall, which originally opened in 1779, is one of only two cloth halls of its kind in the world, but even in its heyday it only opened for two hours once a week.

Now, in an effort to ensure visitors don’t turn up to find the place shut, the vast majority of the traders will be open seven days a week and there is also a series of events planned for the new central courtyard.

It was estimated that by early evening yesterday, 17,200 had passed through the gates and the restoration of the historic landmark is another piece in jigsaw for Calderdale’s wider renaissance.

In June, Halifax’s Square Chapel arts centre reopened following a £6.6m revamp and next month the new-look Calderdale Industrial Museum will once again welcome visitors after a major refit.

Nicky Chance Thompson, chief executive of The Piece Hall Trust, which has taken over the day-to-day running of the site from Calderdale Council, said: “Today has been absolutely incredible and it just goes to show how much the people of Halifax were looking forward to getting their Piece Hall back.

“It was brilliant to see thousands of people enjoying the new piazza and now we are looking forward to building on that success and welcoming visitors from across the UK and beyond.”