EPW057287 ENGLAND (1938). The town centre, Halifax, 1938

Drill Hall In the mid fifties the drill hall was the venue for frequent BBC outside broadcasts of the wrestling. the whole street would be full of transmission vehicles and cables running everywhere. It also held the Ideals Homes Exhibition, this would be about 1951-52. Our cat nicked the fish from the prestige stand, the Demo had to be postponed till later.

The Alexandra Hall. Opened in 1931. Owned by the Halifax Building Society whose HQ building was adjacent. They used the hall for their meetings but it was also a public hall with theatrical performances and regular dances. The basement was carved out of solid rock and became the building society's storage vaults for their documents. The building also included a cafe & restaurant. The building is still standing but is not open to the public being part of the building society's local complex (now part of Lloyd's Banking Group).

The Theatre Royal. A Theatre has stood on this site since 1789. At that time it was known as The Halifax Theatre. The original building was demolished in 1904 and replaced by the present building, the Theatre Royal, in 1905. It became the Royal Cinema in 1933 and had a fine organ installed in 1937. In 1966 it became a bingo hall until 1992 and it has since been a nightclub. It finally closed in 2005. There have been subsequent plans to re-develop the building as a hotel but the old building is still listed as 'For Sale' ( March 2014).

The Palace Theatre, in its time a noted theatre and music hall. Apparently, the winter of 1902/03 when it was built, was extremely cold so sugar was added to the mortar to help it set. Later the management used this odd fact in their publicity so the Palace became known as "the sweetest theatre in the North". It was demolished in 1960.

Now Wards End Chambers, a commercial office building but in 1914 it was the Commercial Temperance Hotel. The proprietors, Walter & Ellen Bentley, sent their son, George, then aged three, out on to the streets of Halifax, dressed in a khaki uniform that is said to have been a replica of the local Duke of Wellington's Regiment uniform. He collected money for war funds and became known in the town as "Little Khaki George". He collected more than £100 during World War One - a considerable sum for the time!

Now Wards End Chambers, a commercial office building but in 1914 it was the Commercial Temperance Hotel. The proprietors, Walter & Ellen Bentley, sent their son, George, then aged three, out on to the streets of Halifax, dressed in a khaki uniform that is said to have been a replica of the local Duke of Wellington's Regiment uniform. He collected money for war funds and became known in the town as "Little Khaki George". He collected more than £100 during World War One - a considerable sum for the time!

The second of the town's J.W. Wetherspoon pubs was opened here as part of the new Broad Street Plaza in December 2012. It was named 'The Percy Shaw' after the local inventor of 'catseyes' which were made at his Reflecting Roadstuds factory about a mile away.

Barum Top. The Barum was a stream which ran down through the town centre.By the early 19th century it had become an open sewer and was gradually filled in and built over. The name, however, continues to be used at Barum Top and the Wetherspoon pub chain named the first of their two local pubs 'The Barum Top'in 2000.

Formerly the Halifax Modern School and later Clare Hall School. Closed as a school in 2004 and now apartments.

Formerly Holy Trinity Church. Built in the 1790s. Now (2013) an insurance company.

Clare Road. Charles Dickens is said to have stayed here when he came to Halifax to do a reading at the Oddfellows Hall.

This area was known locally as 'The City'. It was grossly overcrowded with poor quality houses and was Halifax's first major slum clearance area in the 1940s & 1950s. In 2013 it is bisected by the dual carriageway A58 Yorkshire - Lancashire trunk road and by 1960s buildings (including high-rise flats).

The Oddfellows Hall and Alhambra Cinema. An impressive Greek- styled building demolished in the ?1960s.

Halifax Post Office still in place (2013) in the very centre of the town

The Arcade Royale running between Commercial Street & Market Street. At the time of this photo, this was the main town centre retail outlet of the Halifax Co-operative Society. Nowadays (2013) a mixed retail/ pub area.

At the time of this pic, The Gaumont Cinema. The building is still in place (2013) and is the Liquid Nightclub.

The Electric Cinema. Now (2013) a rebuilt bowling alley/ snooker hall.

Originally built as the local Burton's Tailoring shop, this building also housed (1960s) the Princess Ballroom - known locally as Palings. It is still in place (2013) and is now the local McDonald's burger chain HQ.

At the time of this photo this building was the main Halifax Police Station & Magistrates Court. Nowadays (2013) the police have moved out but the Court Service still use the building.

Halifax Abbatoir (always known locally as 'the Slaughter House'). Demolished in the 1970s now (2013) part of the Woolshops Shopping Precinct.

Woolshops (said to be the country's only street with this name). Nowadays (2013) the town's major shopping precinct.

Halifax Bus Station now (2013) stands this site.

This site is now (2013) the Broad Street Plaza. Opened in Dec. 2012 as a cinema/restaurant/pub complex.

This site is now (2013) the Broad Street Plaza. Opened in Dec. 2012 as a cinema/restaurant/pub complex.

Halifax Town Hall designed by Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the Houses of Parliament in London. Now (2013) stone-cleaned and pristine.

Bull Green. Nowadays (2013) one of the town's main traffic roundabouts.

Bull Green House. Still in place and the main HQ of Pennine Housing, the main local social housin agency.

North Bridge. At the time of this photo, the main exit from the town to Bradford & Leeds. Now (2013) overlooked by a much higher flyover.

Halifax Borough Market. Opened 1894 and still in use as a general retail market in 2013.

Halifax Piece Hall (1779) the country's last surviving Cloth Hall. At the time of this photo the building was used as a wholesale fruit & veg market. To be closed early 2014 for refurbishment as a retail/entertainment centre.

Ebenezer Methodist Church, built in the early 20th century. Still in place in 2013.

The Grand Junction Hotel. A Ramsden's house demolished in the 1970s. Nowadays (2013) Lister Court a high-rise block of social housing flats.

This empty site became the main Cross Field Bus Station in the 1950s. This lasted until the 1980s. The Department of Work & Pensions building is now (2013) on this site.

At the time of this photo, the Victoria Hall. Nowadays (2013) the Halifax Civic Theatre.

The Odeon Cinema. A part of the Rank group. Still under construction in this photo. In the 1960s, Dusty Springfield did her first ever solo concert here. Now (2013) a Mecca bingo hall.

West Riding Magistrates' Court. In 2013, this building is now an apartment bock.

Halifax Swimming Pool is now (2013) on this site. The site was cleared for the pool in the 1930s but the pool was not actually built until the late 1960s because the war intervened.

Ramsden's Brewery. Taken over and closed in the late 60s.

Halifax County Court.

The Regal cinema (later known as the ABC). In 2013 the building is still in place but is currently a closed nightclub.