Huge fillip for Halifax as its noblest building gets �7 million

The Piece Hall's vast galleried courtyard - like part of ancient Riome in Yorkshire - will be restored and given new life as well as an independent mutual trust to steer its futureOne of the finest buildings in England is the Piece Hall in Halifax and it has very good news today. The Heritage Lottery Fund has given �7 million to help ensure its future and find the key to re-using an exceptionally site-specific building.Breathtaking on your first encounter with it ? like a grand Italian square in the heart of the West Riding ? the hall is a rare survival from the textile heydays in our part of the world. Others like it were demolished or carved into bits by the railways, as in Leeds, by our Victorian forebears who liked to press on with things.Halifax nearly lost it in the 1960s; one vote of the then town council saved it from demolition. A very good restoration followed with use of the former wool merchants' room where they showed their 'pieces' of wool and worsted; but the spaces were too cramped and the visitor and tourist economy too small to sustain the project.Calderdale council and the Piece Hall's many local enthusiasts have been pondering this and have now come up with a second go at providing workspaces, shops, restaurants, conference and education space and a visitor centre. The total budget is �19 million and work will start in 2013, phased over two years to allow the building to remain open throughout.In the spirit of mutual trusts and community assets, its ownership will then be transferred to an independent trust with the time and energy to concentrate on it exclusively, as opposed to a budget-strapped council with hundreds of other tasks on its hands. The project has been encouraged by the huge popularity of the Eureka! children's centre, also firmly independent and driven through with iron determination by Vivien Duffield of the Clore Foundation, and other local conservation successes such as the conversion of the Square Chapel.Calderdale's Labour leader Tim Swift says: A revitalised Piece Hall will be a magnet for visitors, offering a spectacular heritage attraction and public space and excellent leisure and retail business opportunities. This will be of huge economic benefit to the town and to Calderdale as a borough.We put a great bid together and the HLF's decision confirms what Calderdale people have always known ? that the Piece Hall is a national treasure and a huge asset to the region.Fiona Spiers, head of the HLF for Yorkshire and the Humber, says:The Piece Hall's courtyard has huge potential as an open civic space and popular tourist destination. We're very pleased to have awarded �7m to help create a vibrant piazza which will retain the integrity of the 18th�century�architecture and celebrate its role in West Yorkshire history.�This project is a good example of the role that heritage can play in bringing people together and creating the perfect site for learning and recreation.Conservative opposition leader Stephen Baines joins in the general joy:The Piece Hall transformation, along with other developments in the town, will help Halifax strengthen its civic pride, its confidence, and its reputation as a business district, and will help to attract further investment.And who wouldn't take to the phrase used by the council's director of communities, Robin Tuddenham, who says:Local love for the Piece Hall and its potential for the future shone through the bid. There were more than 2000 replies to a public consultation over the bid and here are some of them:"The Piece Hall is unique to Britain and is an outstanding piece of architecture"."There's nothing like it in the country. This should be a destination for the whole of the north.""This is a very important building in West Yorkshire, even in England and needs to be preserved and cared for at all costs.""The Piece Hall is architecturally stunning and if the plans get the go ahead could attract thousands of visitors to Halifax, boosting the local economy."�And here are some experts' views:The Piece Hall is the building that makes Halifax unique and is perhaps Yorkshire's most important secular building.�We believe passionately that Halifax's rich architectural legacy is a major asset to be enjoyed and celebrated by residents and visitors alike.�English Heritage, The Building of Halifax, 2010�The Piece Hall is a surprise and a delight.�It has a sense of place that is all its own, with a friendly atmosphere and a casual approach to commerce.� Despite an up-and-down history, the Piece Hall wears its noble architectural heritage with dignity and modesty.��Robert F Gatje, Great Public Squares, 2010�Halifax is full of character and hidden beauty.�The Piece Hall is symbolic of its hidden and great worth. The skyline of Halifax, its churches, chapels, mills and warehouses, is something never to be forgotten and gives Halifax its identity.���Sir John Betjeman, 1979�Hie thee thence!�Art marketsArchitectureHeritageHeritageMuseumsMuseumsYorkshireMartin Wainwrightguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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