The Sad Passing of Sir Ernest Hall

Sir Ernest Hall, who fought to save Mill Bank from demolition in the sixties, sadly died on August 3rd, 2024, aged 94.

Sir Ernest is probably best known for his transformation of Dean Clough, from what he described as ‘a symbol of despair’ on the Halifax skyline, to the hive of business and cultural enterprise that we see today.

However, some Mill Bankers will remember him equally for fighting a council decision in the sixties to demolish most of the village’s homes. The campaign that he, June and others ran so successfully, led to the creation of our Conservation Area and laid the foundations for the thriving community that we enjoy today.

It must be rare to find in one person a fine pianist, composer and a visionary entrepreneur. Hall found passion in rebuilding a vast Victorian mill from dereliction and bringing business and the arts so closely together. This may have stemmed from his strong view that children’s education was failing to cultivate their imagination and was still modelled on a system designed to prepare many of them for a life of labour in the mills.

Hall married Sarah Wellby in 1980, and they had a son together. He separated from Sarah and from 2006-2021 he lived in Lanzarote in a relationship with Prue Leith, before returning to Sarah in 2021.

Sir Ernest is survived by Sarah and his five children. A number of villagers attended the funeral at Halifax Minster, and a letter of condolence from village residents from the Mill Bank Group was sent to the family.