Man behind transformation of landmark mill dies

Sir Ernest Hall has died aged 94

The entrepreneur behind the transformation of some of Halifax's most well-known buildings has died aged 94.

Sir Ernest Hall led the redevelopment of the derelict Dean Clough mills in the 1980s and helped to create the town's children's museum, Eureka!.

Speaking to the BBC's Desert Island Discs programme, Sir Ernest descried Dean Clough as a "practical utopia" home to "culture, education, commerce and enterprise".

Paying tribute, his eldest daughter, the Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire Virginia Lloyd, said he was "an inspirational man who leaves behind a rich and diverse legacy".

Dean Clough was transformed from a former carpet factory to a thriving business complex

"I am incredibly proud to have been able to call him my father and I will miss him enormously," she added.

Built between 1840 and 1870, the Grade II listed Dean Clough mill complex is reputed to have once been the world's largest carpet factory.

Along with his his eldest son, Jeremy, and fellow entrepreneur Jonathan Silver, Sir Ernest acquired the site in1983 a year after it had closed.

Together, they set about creating his vision to turn the 22-acre Victorian mill into a "dream world come true" for the arts and enterprise.

More than 4,000 people now work at the site, which stretches more than half a mile in length.

Sir Ernest subsequently worked with Vivien Duffield on the development of Eureka!, a national museum for children in Halifax.

Jeremy Hall, who is now the chairman and managing director of Dean Clough, said his father "was a remarkable, memorable, enigmatic, and charismatic human being".

"He was still planning for what he was yet to achieve, his ambitions and aspirations undiminished by his growing years," he said.

"We shared a love of work, music and family."

In a post of X (formerly Twitter) a spokesperson for the Piece Hall - another of Halifax's success stories - said the "impact and importance" of Sir Ernest's work in the town "cannot be overstated".

Born in Bolton to millworkers Ernest and Mary Hall, Sir Earnest studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music before working at the Mountain Mills in Queensbury, Bradford.

He went on to acquire the site before purchasing Dean Clough, receiving a knighthood in 1993 for services to the Arts.

Sir Earnest is survived by five children, 14 grandchildren and his wife of 44 years, Sarah.

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