07.08.17 — Journal

Halifax & Hebden Bridge

After weeks of asking me excitedly if I wanted to accompany him, my dad finally yesterday took me along to see the newly revamped Piece Hall in Halifax, just across the county border in Yorkshire. Before we landed in Halifax though, we first made a stop at the petite little town of Hebden Bridge, which I seem to be frequenting more and more regularly.

Chimneys over Hebden
Flowers along the way

We descended into a Hebden Bridge which as rife with activity due to an ongoing vintage car show, but we skirted around the crowds to visit the canal and for me to have a mooch around some of my favourite shops.

A back street
A lovely sign

We soon stopped for a coffee at a quaint little café along the canal, where we sat outside and took a moment to soak in the atmosphere below a suspiciously greying sky. Needless to say it soon began trying to rain, so we began to wind our way back to the car down the high street.

Street art
A vintage car by the canal
A pretty little doorway

After a precarious start after having parked on a very steep hill, we were soon on our way to Halifax to find a space to park up and go an explore the Piece Hall. After a quick burger stop, we made a beeline for it (the last time I visited was a good few years ago) and its transformation was pretty amazing.

The Piece Hall

The previously uneven courtyard of paving and grass has been completely replaced by a multi-level granite, with the entirety of the surrounding hall having been completely refurbished. This work has injected a new sense of life into the building which actually dates back to 1779, and it was buzzing with people of all ages whilst we were there.

A clash of styles

I had a good nosey around all the shops, but there’s still many preparing to open in the near future, so we soon headed out to have a little wander around Halifax city centre. Before heading home we headed to see my grandparents at their house near Bradford, but when we got there they weren’t in, so we made back for home and a relaxing cup of tea to end the day.