The Centenary Viewing Platform at Beacon Hill

Thank you for visiting the Rotary Club of Halifax viewing platform, we hope you enjoyed the walk up to the site and the views that it offers of our home town. We are proud to have provided the viewing platform as part of our celebration of 100 years of Rotary Service to the Local, National and International communities. Information on the club and its activities can be found in other areas of this website

The platform is located on Beacon Hill. The name “Beacon Hill” relates to the network of beacons which historically conveyed news around the country, both in times of celebration and crisis.  In 1588 the Halifax beacon was one of the series that were used to warn of the Spanish Armada and was on alert status during the Napoleonic wars in the 1790’s to 1815 when it would have warned of invasion.

Bonfires and beacons have been lit on this hill to mark Royal Jubilees and Coronations, the peace celebrations at the end of the First and Second World wars and the arrival of the 21st Century.

Given the history of the site it seemed like an appropriate place for us to build something that celebrates the rich heritage of the town that we have been proud to serve for over 100 years.

We encourage you to visit the various buildings that are shown on the viewing platform and of which more detail can be found on the following pages. Prominent buildings, such as the Town Hall, Piece Hall and the Minster, are open to the public free of charge whilst others, such as the museums, have an admission fee. You will find much of interest in Halifax.

We also encourage visitors to visit the area outside the town centre as there are many wonderful walks to be enjoyed around the wider Calderdale district. Stoodley Pike can be visited by well marked paths and is well worth the trek to the top as it affords magnificent views of the pennines.

The following pages relate to the panels that are at the platform and expand on the brief information that is shown.  The Rotary Club of Halifax are grateful for the permission granted by the various organisations to use this information and their information is shown at the end of each section.

There are links to websites with further information about the landmarks.  Whilst the Rotary Club of Halifax has taken all care to select these sites we cannot accept any responsibility for any content, further links or continuance of the sites.