Halifax factfile

How to get to Halifax
The town of Halifax is in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, between Huddersfield to the north and Bradford to the south.

Shopping in Halifax
Dominating the town centre is the site of the majestic Borough Market. The market place, erected in 1896, is a fine example of Victorian architecture and a Grade II listed building.

The market is home to both high-street stores and smaller, more specialised businesses alike. Also in the town centre is the Woolshops Shopping Centre, which offers a collection of over 40 speciality shops.

How Halifax got its name
The name Halifax is said to be a corruption of the Old English for holy and face, as, according to legend, the head of St John the Baptist was buried here. The Halifax coat of arms still features an image of the saint and Halifax Parish Church is dedicated to him.

Natural beauty spots around Halifax
Near to Halifax is the reservoir of Ogden Water, covering 34 acres and surrounded by 174 acres of woodland and moor. Since its creation in the 1850s it's been a popular recreational spot for locals and visitors alike. The area makes an ideal habitat for over 130 species of bird. With a capacity of 222 million gallons, Ogden Water supplies the whole of Halifax with drinking water.

Halifax's claim to fame
Halifax's claim to fame, or more accurately, claim to infamy, was harsh law enforcement. The "Halifax Gibbet", an early form of guillotine, was used to execute thieves if they had stolen goods with a value of 13.5 pence or above.

Halifax's reputation for administering a very ruthless system of justice was noted by several contemporary writers, notably by Daniel Defoe and the poet John Taylor, whose Beggar's Litany contains the line, "From Hull, Hell and Halifax, Good Lord deliver us!" The gibbet was last used in 1650. Today a replica gibbet stands in... Gibbet Street.