Halifax’s Piece Hall once again hosted a concert within its walls, with the Band of the Yorkshire Regiment performing in front of a crowd of hundreds in the famous open-air square that featured in the film ‘Brassed Off’ in 1996.
That event took place as part of the Piece Hall’s ‘Butties and Brass’ campaign, which also saw the West Yorkshire Police Band perform on 8 August. Alongside each performance, local independent producers sold their goods, such as wines, jams and baked goods.
The walk-in vaccination centre in the Piece Hall also saw much activity throughout the day, with at least fifty people queuing on the third level for their jab at one point.
The Yorkshire Regiment played a varied selection of music, ranging from Over the Rainbow to Careless Whisper and other hits.
You can’t beat ‘Butties & Brass’. On now, for the next two hours: The Band of The @YORKS_REGT https://t.co/aopYYqTh7R pic.twitter.com/csQ1EKJtUL
— The Piece Hall (@ThePieceHall) August 15, 2021
Piece Hall’s upcoming events
The events on the Piece Hall’s summer itinerary do not stop there, for more is on the way. For example, on 21 August, the ‘Bell Ringing & Breakfast’ event will offer ticket holders a tour around the Visitor Centre and the Map Room and the opportunity to ring the Hall’s bell, which historically signalled the start of the trading day at 10:00. After the ceremony, participants will then be offered breakfast at Blondin’s, an American-inspired diner that is run by the Piece Hall Trust.
Another upcoming event is Richard Hawley’s concert, which will take place in the Piece Hall on 4 September at 17:00. Hawley will be joined by two other acts, John Grant and Studio Electronique. Hawley is a chart-topping musician from Yorkshire who has worked with many successful bands, such as the Arctic Monkeys and the Manic Street Preachers, the latter of whom are performing in the Piece Hall on 10 September.
A complete list of all the upcoming events can be found on the Piece Hall’s website.
Since its renovation in 2017, the Piece Hall has established itself as a major hub for Halifax’s commercial and social activity, hosting many events and providing local businesses with unique opportunities to expand and connect with the public.
While it is an especially unique building, due to its nature as Britain’s only remaining Georgian cloth hall, it still offers a helpful example to redevelopments in Kirklees. Successful redevelopments ought to respect the history of an existing building while expanding its usefulness. Furthermore, such projects ought to accommodate for commercial, social and artistic ventures at the same time in order to provide an amenity that is useful to a community in a number of regards.