First White Cloth Hall Leeds Reopens as Moods Cafe Bar

Moods brings speciality coffee, a Michelin-trained head chef and an events space to the 1711 building on Kirkgate, completing its return to commercial use

The building where Leeds’ cloth trade was first brought under one roof is opening its ground floor to the public again. Moods, an all-day cafe, bar and events venue, launches at First White Cloth Hall on Kirkgate on Friday 31 July, bringing speciality coffee, in-house patisserie, dining, cocktails and private hire to a building that spent more than two decades on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. It is the third venture from husband-and-wife founders Will and Hayley Moody, and marks the final ground-floor space in the restored hall coming into use.

Why This Matters For Leeds

This completes a long regeneration story on Leeds’ oldest street. A building that was derelict, partly demolished and at risk is now fully trading, which is the hardest stage of any heritage project to reach and a strong signal for the rest of Kirkgate. It also shows local founders scaling: the Moodys have built three businesses in the city since 2018, and attracting a chef with Michelin-group training says something about where ambitious hospitality talent now wants to be.

What Moods Brings to First White Cloth Hall

Moods occupies the ground floor, with speciality coffee and in-house patisserie by day moving into cocktails, wine and beer by evening, alongside space for private events. The kitchen is led by head chef Craig Rogan, who trained within Simon Rogan’s Michelin-starred group including L’Enclume and Fera at Claridge’s, and has since worked at Manchester House and The Grand in York as well as running his own venture at The Collective. His menu centres on British produce with international touches, from a wild mushroom crumpet with Old Winchester cheese and black truffle honey to mead-glazed pancetta with potato rosti. Doors open at 6pm on Friday 31 July for drinks with all-day food service from 8am the following morning. A full restaurant and private dining offer is planned for autumn.

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“Leeds has been our home since university, and First White Cloth Hall felt like the kind of building you do not get a second chance with.”

— Will Moody, Co-founder, Moods

A 300-Year-Old Building Back in Business

The hall was built in 1711, put up quickly after rival merchants in Wakefield opened a covered cloth hall the year before, and became the town’s first covered venue for trading undyed cloth, a foundation stone of the textile industry that made Leeds wealthy. Some of its roof timbers have been dated to the 1470s. After decades of decline the building was partly demolished, before developer Rushbond took it on and delivered a restoration in partnership with Historic England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Leeds City Council, working with architects Buttress. Original oak trusses were salvaged and reinstated, the collapsed west wing rebuilt, and the project won industry awards and came off the Heritage at Risk Register. The Moodys’ tattoo studio Buzz Club and beauty brand self. already occupy space at First White Cloth Hall.