Halifax: Cloth-Making Center

Halifax has a long history of cloth-making. The hilly land around Halifax was unsuitable for farming except for grazing sheep. For extra income, farmers would spin wool and weave the cloth on home looms.

Clothiers paid the carders (children), spinners (women,) and weavers (men), who would usually be able to make one 30 yard "piece" of wool per week. Then the clothiers would sell the cloth at the Piece Hall, a huge building built in 1779, with 315 trading rooms.

Every Saturday, the bell would ring at the beginning and end of the 2-hour market time. Anyone caught trading outside of the 2 hour time period was fined. The rest of the week the building was locked and guarded, because cloth was so valuable--depending on quality, £2-6 per piece. In comparison, you could buy 320 sausages, 240 pints of beer, or 3 pairs of good shoes for £2.

By the 1830s, mill production of cloth make the Piece Hall obsolete for the original purpose, and it became a public market hall. Now it is composed of many specialty shops, restaurants, and other businesses, and the courtyard is used for music events and festivals.

The rest of the town center has some beautiful architecture, illustrating the wealth of the area.Read more