The Chapel was formerly known as the Resurrection Chapel. In 1951 it was dedicated to the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, a regiment which recruited from the people of Halifax.

Laid up in the Chapel are colours given to the Regiment, many of which record major battles. In the frames on the wall are colours from the Battle of Waterloo and other conflicts. The final colours were laid in the Chapel on 31st March 2007 and the Regiment is now part of the Yorkshire Regiment.

The Carpet bearing the regimental crest, was one of the last wove by Crossley Carpets of Halifax and the chairs by, Robert ‘Mousy’ Thompson, have the same crest and a signature carved mouse.*

* From an information board outside the Chapel

Located in the heart of Halifax, Halifax Minster is a handsome 15th Century Grade 1 listed Parish Church; a site of major historical importance, a place of worship, prayer, of civic engagement, education and culture; with a year-round programme of events for you to enjoy. The church of St John the Baptist Halifax was given its Minster status in 2009 in recognition of its important role in the civic life of the town and borough.

Visit Halifax Minster to enjoy a tour of the beautiful and historic interior of the building, the beautiful stained glass and painted wooden ceiling panels. Look out for the mice carved into the Thompson chairs in the Wellington Chapel!

The Grade I listed Piece Hall, Halifax is a rare and precious thing, an architectural and cultural phenomenon which is absolutely unique. It is the sole survivor of the great eighteenth century northern cloth halls, a class of buildings which embodied the vital and dominant importance of the trade in hand woven textiles to the pre-industrial economy of the West Riding of Yorkshire, from the Middle Ages through to the early nineteenth century.

Dating from 1779, when it was built as a Cloth Hall for the trading of ‘pieces’ of cloth (a 30 yard length of woven woollen fabric produced on a handloom), The Piece Hall was the most ambitious and prestigious of its type and now stands in splendid isolation as the only remaining example. It is one of Britain’s most outstanding Georgian buildings.

It is impossible to overstate the scale and importance of this trade, not just to the history of Halifax and the West Riding, but to the nation as a whole over some 800 years between the twelfth and eighteenth centuries.

When it was built, The Piece Hall was a highly visible statement of the great wealth, pride and ambition of the cloth manufacturers. Although built for trade, it also embodied the most cultured sensitivities of the Enlightenment; these bluff northern manufacturers deliberately chose a design for their building which adapted the neo-classical orders of architecture derived originally from the Romans.

From its inception, The Piece Hall was a stunning combination of commerce and culture, an icon of hard business but also a broader statement about the history, the lives and the values of its surrounding community. This fascinating mix of purpose and idealism – business, arts and people, continues to influence and drive The Piece Hall’s role today. A direct link back over almost a quarter of a millenium of history.

Proverbs 13:11

We had a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed, after which we were treated to an excellent breakfast; fruit juices, cereals, fruit and jams from the buffet and a choice of items from the full cooked breakfast menu that were all cooked to order.

The morning was crisp and misty. Our car needed demisting before we could set off on our journey for the day. The demisting caused a spectacular display of steam to rise from the car, an unusual sight. Whilst the car was being sorted out, I took the opportunity to take a few photos in the early morning sunshine.

We set off towards Leeds and the Royal Armouries. As we approached Leeds we could see a layer of mist above which was a brown foggy mug of pollution. I am so glad that I don’t live in a city!

The Royal Armouries has many interesting exhibits. I particularly enjoyed seeing the Mughal elephant armour dating around 1600. I found the armour fascinating. Another display, showing how guns and knives are used in street crime in the UK along with personal stories, left me feeling disturbed.

When we had finished our tour of the Royal Armouries we set of toward Halifax, intending to visit the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment Museum. The traffic was so bad we realised that once again we would be too late to visit the museum so we flexed the plan. We headed into Halifax to see the architecture of the Peace Hall. We walked around the Peace Hall and the nearby streets, stopping for an afternoon refreshment along the way and headed back to Shibden Mill Inn.

Whilst I was considering an indulgent soak in the bath, the fire alarm went off. Mr C and I exited through the nearest door (leading onto the room’s patio area). Mr C quipped, it is fortunate that you were not in the bath. Everywhere else seemed calm and the fire alarm stopped sounding so we returned to our room. Mr C went to collect some milk for a cup of tea and found out that the fire alarm had gone off when to a fire being lit in the grate caused more smoke than expected!

After the false alarm I had a nice relaxing bath before it was time for us to enjoy an aperitif in the bar. We enjoyed the Valentine’s Day special menu in the room above the bar. It goes without saying that we sampled an after dinner drink before retiring for the night.