Historic former city market hall is sold

White Cloth Hall, a former market hall in Leeds city centre, has been sold off with plans to convert and re-open the property as a food and drink venue.

Located behind the Corn Exchange in central Leeds, the White Cloth Hall was originally built in 1775 as a market for the sale of undyed cloth.

Most recently, the property housed three separate businesses including a BrewDog bar and Pizza Express.

The White Cloth Hall has been acquired by Ed Mason, co-founder of Five Points Brewing and managing director of Leeds pub, Whitelock’s Ale House Ltd, in a deal arranged by specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co.

Mason intends to re-convert the newly acquired premise into a single unit, and re-open it as a food and drink hall, which will champion Leeds’s independent food and drink scene.

He said: “We are happy to have acquired this beautiful and iconic Grade II listed building which has played an important role in the civic and cultural life of Leeds city centre for 250 years.

“From its original creation as a market hall for the trading of cloth, to its most recent incarnation as Leeds’ first Pizza Express – it has always been a bustling and busy venue in the heart of Leeds.”

Alex Rex, senior business agent at Christie & Co who handled the sale, added: “Whitelocks is one of my favourite places to visit when I’m in Leeds, so it was a pleasure meeting the owners and the team behind the pub and helping them to secure their next project.

“We were inundated with interest for this unique building in Leeds city centre, and it took an experienced operator and a great team to be able to see a vision and I can’t wait to see it executed.”