Halifax in 50 Buildings

From its status as a busy industrial town producing and dealing in wool, carpets, machine tools, and confectionery to its role in the world of banking as the home of Halifax plc (now part of HBOS), Halifax has a proud and distinctive identity. This extraordinary history is embodied in the buildings that have shaped the town, many designed by famous architects such as Sir Charles Barry, John Carr, and Sir George Gilbert Scott. Halifax in 50 Buildings explores the history of this West Yorkshire minster town through a selection of its greatest architectural treasures, from the magnificent Piece Hall, now reopened to the public and home to many arts, crafts, and independent shops, to the acclaimed Eureka!, the National Children’s Museum. Author and historian Peter Thornborrow, and photographer Paul Gwilliam, celebrate Halifax’s architectural heritage in a new and accessible way as they guide the reader around the town’s historic and modern buildings.

Peter Thornborrow was a teacher before being appointed Calderdale’s Architectural Historian, and later an Inspector for Historic Buildings undertaking the national re-survey for listed buildings for the DOE of most of West Yorkshire before becoming the Senior Historic Buildings Officer for the West Yorkshire Archaeology Service (WYAS) for a long number of years. In 2004 he was appointed the Conservation and Urban Design Officer for Rotherham MBC until his retirement in December 2010. He is currently Chairman of the Yorkshire Vernacular Buildings Study Group (YVBSG). Paul Gwilliam graduated from Exeter College of Art and Design in the early 1980 with a Degree in Photography. He moved to Sheffield, where he spent a year documenting the changing face of the cities parkland. then spent the next 30 years as a photographer and historic buildings specialist, contributing to many academic and popular publications. Since retiring he has taken on a role of an independent historic building consultant and has just completed his MSc in Historic Building Conservation.