Halifax

The small market town of Halifax was completely transformed by the Industrial Revolution. It had for centuries been at the heart of the clothing industry in Yorkshire. By the beginning of the 19th century the ‘Piece Hall’ was recognised as the finest cloth hall in the country.

From 1800 onwards the textile industry expanded rapidly. Thousands left the countryside to work in the mills and factories. In fact, during the 19th century the population rose from 9,000 to over 50,000. This led to severe overcrowding, poverty and disease. In order to overcome this, workers put together their money to buy land to build their own houses, and this was the beginning of building societies, and the home of the modern day Halifax Building Society.

Important products were cloth and carpets, which were produced using steam driven machines and mass production techniques.