EPW036890 ENGLAND (1931). The Town Hall and the town centre, Halifax, 1931

At the time of this photo this building would have been Maude's Commercial Temperance Hotel. The hotel opened in 1874. The buildings on this side of Broad Street stood until the road was widened in the early 1960s. In the development that followed the road widening, a Brunswick Bowling Alley was built here. This later closed and became a supermarket. The site has been again re-developed in the 21st century and this side of the road, opposite the Town Hall, is now the Broad Street Plaza with a hotel, cinema, restaurants and a pub.

The White Swan Hotel.

The Union Cross Inn, Halifax's oldest pub - first opened in 1535 and still trading in the same place, the street known as Old Market.

This shows the new branch of Montague Burton, mens' tailors, under construction. It was opened the year after this photo in 1932. Above the store was a snooker lounge and (originally) the Empress Ballroom. After World War II, the ballroom was taken over by Pearl Paling, a noted local ballroom dancer and dance teacher who renamed it the Princess Ballroom (although it was and is still known locally as just Paling's). In the 1960s this became probably the premier music and dancing venue for the town's young people and is still fondly remembered by many. The building still stands. It is now the local branch of the McDonald's burger chain.

At the time of this photo this impressive domed bank building had been standing around five years. It was built in 1926 for the National Provincial Bank and is still standing, noawadays as a brank of the Nation Westminster Bank group.

Akroyd Place School. A mixed primary school opened in 1886. By the 1930s it had over 500 children. It was closed and the building demolished, like much of this area, in 1969 to make way for the new viaduct carrying the A58 trunk road over the Hebble Valley.

Salem Methodist Chapel.This building of 1871 was demolished for the new Burdock Way through road in the late 1960s and a modern buidling replaced it about 50 yeards away.

Halifax Town Hall designed by Sir Charles Barry who had earlier designed the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. The Town Hall was opened by the then Prince of Wales in August 1863. The building is still the HQ of Calderdale Metropolital Borough Council and the elected members meet monthly in the elegant Council Chamber.

Golden L[on public house now Brass Cat

Grand Theatre

Woolshops