Shrewsbury Market Hall
Shrewsbury Market Hall is an indoor market in Shrewsbury, England. Opened in 1965, the building, designed by architect David Aberdeen, replaced a Victorian market hall. The market has been voted "Britain’s Favourite Market" in 2018, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Shrewsbury Market Hall hosts just over 70 independent businesses, including grocers, restaurants, cafes, and butchers. As of 2024, the market is jointly managed by Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council, the first responsible for the permanent stalls and retail units, along with the overall management of the building, and the latter managing the canopied stalls inside the market.
History
The New Corn Exchange and Market
Prior to the mid-19th century, many British towns and cities included market houses, which would serve different functions across multiple floors. However, from the mid-19th century, many such towns and cities began to split these functions into separate buildings, including court houses, town halls, covered markets, and/or corn exchanges.In Shrewsbury, the location for The New Corn Exchange and Market was argued for 15 years, largely between either a Pride Hill site or a Mardol site. After the Mardol site was selected, some 60 to 70 buildings were demolished, including various Georgian timber-framed buildings and a hotel.
On 29 September 1869, The New Corn Exchange and Market was opened. The building measured 313 feet in length and was topped by a 150 foot tall tower with four clock faces and a spire. Designed by Robert Griffiths, it was in an Italianate style, with bricks of white, blue, and black, and was built at a cost of nearly £70,000. Initially, the basement held the fish market and ice house, although the fish market was later moved upstairs. The main entrance to the ground floor was on the Mardol side, which included butchers and a shopping arcade, and on the Bellstone end, apple and butter markets were located in the general hall. The first floor included a billiards hall.
Shrewsbury Market Hall
Construction
The New Corn Exchange and Market was demolished in the early 1960s, along with every other Victorian market hall in Shropshire, except those in Newport and Bridgnorth. Little refrigeration and a lack of modern hygiene requirements were reasons for its replacement. It was regarded as "no longer fit for purpose" and "dirty and dingy" by newspapers at the time.Developed by the Second Covent Garden Property Company Ltd, and designed by the architect David Aberdeen, the construction then took place between two parts, with the Mardol end, named Mardol House, being built first so that trading could continue there while the rest of the building was completed. On 28 June 1963, during construction on the Bellstone end, a collapse of a cellar floor trapped several workers, and led to one being killed and four others injured. The 200 ft clock tower took 48,000 bricks and required a 100 tonne crane with a 240-foot jib to construct. The 37 foot high aluminium finial was also added, and a topping off ceremony was held on 7 April 1965. Original plans included a rooftop restaurant and garden, although this was never carried out.