Shuttered Halifax venue hits the market
Refurbished to the tune of £6.6m a decade ago but closed since early 2025, offers are invited for the grade two-listed Square Chapel.
Watling Real Estate is marketing the asset on behalf of Arts Council England, with prices on application.
The venue closed early in 2025 as the community interest company running it, Square Chapel CIC, ran into financial difficulties. Forward bookings were cancelled, and the CIC has this year been liquidated at the behest of HMRC.
An Arts Council England spokesperson told the Halifax Courier that it is committed to trying to “return the building to cultural use” as Watling gets to work on behalf of the body and other creditors.
The former Georgian chapel was originally constructed in 1772, and saw its recent renovation reach completion in 2017, a project that made it a multi-use arts space with café and bar.
The centre has two performance spaces capable of seating 220 and 115 people and has a permitted use for performing arts, live performances, moving images, arts and ancillary purposes.
Square Chapel’s refurbishment added new facilities, including The Red Brick Auditorium, a 220-seat performance space within the original Georgian chapel. The Copper Auditorium is a 115-seat cinema that also doubles as studio space
Back-of-house facilities include dressing rooms, production offices, and several storage spaces.
Jack Whiting, a surveyor in Watling’s Leeds office, said: “This is an iconic building and it is great to see that it has been given a new lease of life. The property is part freehold and part long leasehold, and we are seeking offers for the site as a whole.
“Our client, Arts Council England, is interested in working with prospective bidders who are looking to deliver continued cultural use of the building.”
Square Chapel is situated in the very heart of Halifax town centre, next to the iconic Piece Hall, which is approaching the end of a huge summer run of shows attracting widespread admiration. The Eureka! The National Children’s Museum is also a near neighbour, while Halifax’s railway station is two minutes’ walk away.
Whiting added: “Square Chapel benefits from an exceptional town-centre location, combining excellent accessibility with a wealth of established attractions, amenities and leisure destinations on its doorstep.”
