Halifax is a minster town, in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. The town is known as a centre of woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Piece Hall.
The town's 19th-century wealth came from the cotton, wool and carpet industries and like most other Yorkshire towns had it had a large number of weaving mills many of which have been lost or converted to alternate use.
John Mackintosh and his wife, Violet, opened a toffee shop in King Cross Lane in 1890. Violet formulated the toffee's recipe. John became known as "The Toffee King". A factory was opened on Queens Road in 1898. A new factory at Albion Mill, at the current site near the railway station, opened in 1909. John died in 1920, and his son Harold not only continued the business but took it to the present size and range of confectionery it has today. Their famous brands, including Rolo, Toffee Crisp and Quality Street of chocolate and confectionery are not just popular in the UK, but around the world including the USA.
One of the largest textile factories in the world, at over half a mile long, Dean Clough was located in the north of the town. The premises have since been converted for office and retail use including a gym, theatre, Travelodge and radio station..
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- Chapman, Vera: Halifax Revisited (The History Press, 2003).
- Gee, Stephen: Halifax Through Time (Amberley Publishing, 2010).
- Gee, Stephen: Around Halifax (Archive Photographs) (The History Press, 2009).
- Gill, Andrew: The Way We Were: Hebden Bridge to Halifax (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015).
- Hargreaves, John A.: Halifax (Carnegie Publishing, 2003).
- Sunderland, Phil: Old Halifax, Sowerby Bridge, Ripponden and Rishworth (Stenlake Publishing, 2015).
Map of Halifax with its 36 textile mills (
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Nearest industrial towns.
Towns with historical textile mills near Halifax.