Halifax (UK)

Town in West Yorkshire, northern England, on the River Calder, 13 km/8 mi northwest of Huddersfield; population (2001) 83,600. Important in the woollen cloth trade since medieval times, the town produces textiles, carpets, and clothing; other industries include engineering and the manufacture of confectionery (Nestlé). It is the headquarters of the Halifax plc (formerly Halifax Building Society).

Features
The restored Piece Hall, built in 1779 as a cloth market; the Calderdale Industrial Museum; the Perpendicular Gothic St John's Church; All Souls' (1857–59), designed by Gilbert Scott; the town hall (1859–62), designed by Charles Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament; part of the original Halifax gibbet (a predecessor of the guillotine), used to behead cloth stealers (1541–1650), is preserved.