Halifax Heritage Festival

blog

This September sees Halifax’ first ever festival which will run between Thursday 11th September and Sunday 14th September.

The Halifax Heritage Festival will run in conjunction with the UK’s Heritage Open Days, which incorporate a full weekend of heritage sites being open to the public free of charge. 

Zone One includes:  The Halifax Minster, Town Hall, Victoria Theatre, Square Chapel, Industrial Museum, Borough Market, and Piece Hall.

Zone Two includes:  Shibden Hall, Dean Clough, All Souls Church Haley Hill, Wainhouse Tower, People’s Park, Crossley Heath School, and Lister Lane Cemetery.

The majority of events are free to attend, all heritage sites are open to the public, and everything within Zone One is within walking distance of the town centre.  Zone Two heritage sites can be reached via local public transport, on bicycle, by foot for those who are distance walkers (up to a maximum of 2 miles from the town centre), or have car parks for private vehicles.

Events taking place as part of the Halifax Heritage Festival include:

  • Yorkshire Archive Film at Square Chapel (12th Sept at 7.30pm, priced at £11 concessions, £13 standard tickets). An evening of nostalgia and celebration from the Halifax Cine Club collection. Tickets can be booked via www.squarechapel.co.uk or 01422 349422.

  • Square Chapel guided tours (13th Sept at 11.30am, 1pm & 2.30pm, 14th Sept at 11.30am & 1pm, Free). Explore behind the scenes at Square Chapel, hear about its people and its history.

  • Town Hall renowned author, leading authority on Calderdale’s built environment and guest speaker Colum Giles (12th Sept at 5pm, Free). Colum Giles will introduce visitors to ‘Town and Country: Halifax’s Special Historic Environment’.

  • Town Hall open for guided tours (13th Sept at 11am, 12.30pm & 2.30pm, 14th Sept at 12.30pm & 2.30pm, Free no booking required).

  • Town Hall local historian talk by David Glover ‘Send ‘em Down’ – Victorian Crime and Punishment at Halifax Town Hall’ (13th Sept at 1.30pm, 2pm, 3pm & 3.30pm Free no booking required).

  • Calderdale Industrial Museum Tours (daily 11th – 14th Sept at 10am - 4pm).

  • Hidden Gems Walking Tour of Halifax (11th & 12th Sept at 2pm, 13th & 14th Sept at 10.30am & 2pm priced at £5 per person includes refreshments). The tour takes in The Minster, Town Hall, Halifax Gaol, Grand Salon, Street in the Sky and more. Tickets can be booked via The Minster 01422 355436.

  • Piece Hall Hard Hat Tour (dates to be confirmed, Free).

  • The Minster Heritage Books returned from York to Halifax Minster (daily viewings between 11th – 14th Sept open 10am – 4pm, Free).

  • Crossley Heath School open morning with lecture by local historian David Glover (13th Sept, at 11am, Free). The lecture focuses on ‘Sir Francis Crossley & the Mechanism of Carpet Making’.

  • Wainhouse Tower viewings (daily 11th – 14th Sept open 10am – 4pm, Free).

  • All Souls Church Haley Hill Even Song will include responses, canticles, psalms and a Choir anthem, plus hymns for everyone to sing (14th Sept at 4pm, Free).

  • Dean Clough Mills open to the public (11th – 14th Sept open 10am – 4pm, Free).

  • Lister Lane Cemetery tour (14th Sept open 12.30pm – 3.30pm, with guided tours at 1.15pm & 2.30pm Free).  Visit Lister Lane and see the new information boards ‘Sad & Horrible Deaths’, ‘The Crossley’s and Dean Clough’, and ‘Bronte Links and Newspapermen’.

  • Victoria Theatre open to the public (11th – 14th Sept open 10am – 4pm, Free).

  • Bankfield Museum open to the public (11th – 13th Sept open 10am – 4pm, Free).

  • Shibden Hall open to the public (11th Sept open 10am – 4pm, 13th & 14th Sept open 10am – 4pm, Free).

Some of the events and openings are a once in a lifetime opportunity to see or be part of.  Events that require prior bookings are the Hidden Gems Tours on 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Sept, and the Yorkshire Film Archive at Square Chapel on 12th September.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qbHAq6tnm59jwqx72KippKuYnr%2Bme8SvnKeso2S5sK%2FApWahmZyes6LEjKGcq6GklrSmecWeqq2hppa5cA%3D%3D