The hall was built for "the purpose of depositing and exposing to sale the worsted and woollen goods manufactured in this town and neighbourhood".

[1] An 1831 description of Piece Hall says: The Piece Hall was erected by the manufacturers and is a large quadrangular building of freestone occupying an area of ten thousand square yards with a rustic basement storey and two upper storeys fronted with two interior colonnades which are spacious walks leading to arched rooms where goods in an unfinished state were deposited and exhibited for sale to the merchants every Saturday from ten to twelve o clock.

It contains three hundred and fifteen separate rooms and is proof against fire.The Industrial Revolution saw a shift away from small producers and traders, with new larger mills in the Halifax area trading directly with merchants and exporters.

[1] In 1971, after the Piece Hall had become seen as unsuitable for a wholesale market, the businesses were dispersed elsewhere throughout the town and demolition of the then two-century-old building was considered.

The sheds that had been built in the 19th century were demolished and the courtyard landscaped; further, walls were removed from the original rooms to create shops, and a new museum–art gallery was opened on the east side.