Arts centre campaigners mark year since closure

Campaigners calling for an arts centre to reopen have said they will host a lantern procession to mark the anniversary of its closure.

Square Chapel Arts Centre in Halifax closed its doors in February 2025 and all scheduled performances were cancelled. Arts Council England then stopped its funding for the theatre.

The Save Square Chapel Campaign group will hold a procession and rally on Thursday to mark the anniversary of the closure.

Campaigners said they wanted the centre to be restored as "a vibrant and inclusive space for diverse culture, arts and socialising, a vital home for local arts organisations and a hub for community outreach and creative jobs".

Campaigners have been lobbying Arts Council England and Calderdale Council to do more to get the venue reopened.

But senior councillors have said the council does not have any direct influence over the owner or operator of Square Chapel, or over Arts Council England which has a charge over the building, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Square Chapel was taken over by Arts At The Mill CIC – an umbrella organisation for Wigan venues The Old Courts, Wigan Pier and The Royal Court Theatre – in 2020.

Before closing, the centre admitted there were "a number of artists" who had not been paid following performances there.

Almost 2,700 signed a petition last year to save the centre as a community asset.

The Square Chapel, which is adjacent to Piece Hall, was built in 1772 and was derelict when it was bought to be converted into an arts centre in 1988.

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