Halifax Civic Trust has recently announced a new President at its Annual General Meeting.

Jeremy Hall, Chairman and Managing Director at one of the town’s most prized heritage sites, Dean Clough, assumes the important role that was previously held by his late father, Sir Ernest Hall OBE.

Halifax Civic Trust is an entirely voluntary organisation which aims to improve the quality of Halifax's townscape and celebrate, enhance and safeguard the outstanding built and natural environment of the Town – famously described by Poet Laureate and passionate defender of Victorian architecture, John Betjeman as a town of hidden beauty.

By raising public awareness, carrying out projects to improve the environment, keeping a close eye on heritage at risk, and influencing major projects and planning decisions, the aim of Halifax Civic Trust is to make and keep Halifax an attractive place to live, work and visit.


It hosts an annual awards ceremony to recognise outstanding local projects which have included the restoration of the Piece Hall, local community gardens and the Duke of Wellington’s Regimental Memorial. Dean Clough itself has received two Civic Trust awards for Crossley Gallery, Design House Gallery and Restaurant in 1995 and the restoration of A Mill and B Mill in 2017.

Jeremy Hall said: "I am privileged and honoured to take over the Presidents role, its particularly poignant for me, as my late father was the last President, so it’s wonderful to continue our family's commitment to the Trust. Our history and our future are routed in both our community and the built environment. The Civic Trust is imbued with a sense of custodianship, concerned with the celebration of our history whilst mindful of enabling our community's future.

"In my capacity as Chairman and Managing Director of the magnificent Dean Clough Mills, a 22 acre Victorian estate, now a thriving mixed-use destination and community of more than 3,500 people, I have an appreciation of both the merits and challenges of protecting our heritage assets whilst striving to create an environment to engage with an ever changing world."