The Market Hall

THE MARKET HALL

The Market Hall stands on Market Place and was designed by the architects Danes and Sons in 1857 for the Chesterfield Market Company. It is constructed in red brick with stone dressings and a slate roof, showing Byzantine and Italianate influence.

The building forms a hollow rectangle, with a covered market occupying the central space. The symmetrical eastern facade facing Market Place is the principal elevation. The main section rises 2 storeys over 3 bays, with a tall centre tower rising above it, flanked by outer wings of 3 storeys and 1 bay each. The stonework includes quoins at the corners and double sill bands at first floor height. A stone eaves band runs across the facade, from which springs a wide corbelled eaves cornice topped by a blocking course.

Rusticated stone pilasters frame the centre first floor windows and continue upwards to form the rectangular cross-section tower, which has wide faces to east and west. The first stage of the tower contains a narrow band of 4 small windows set within a stone panel, with a moulded cornice above. The second stage features very tall paired round-arched lights containing louvred panels, ending in a heavy corbelled eaves cornice that springs from a stone band. A blocking course rises in the centre above where a clock is positioned. Originally the tower was topped by an ogee-slated cupola surmounted by an iron ogee crown and balustrade, but this has now been removed. All windows throughout have stone architraves. The second floor of the end wings contains triple round-arched sashes with glazing bars. First floor windows of the eastern facade are sashes with labels and vertical glazing bars.

The ground floor is arcaded, with rusticated stone pilasters and stone archivolts. The centre arch is segmental, while others are round-arched. The arcades are now generally occupied by shop windows and doors.

The north and south facades are also symmetrically designed, with slightly advanced 3-storey end bays. They generally follow the window patterns of the eastern facade. The northern ground floor has a range of altered 19th-century shop fronts, with a centre round-arched entrance to the Market Hall featuring a keystone and wrought ironwork filling the tympanum. First floor windows of the centre section have end sashes flanking 5 tall round-arched windows with glazing bars, with stone archivolts continued as an impost band between windows and above the end sashes.

The south facade rises to 3 storeys throughout (greater height under the same roof due to sloping ground). The second floor centre has 7 pairs of round-arched sashes with a sill band beneath. The first floor has 7 sashes with flat lintels. Round-arched openings at ground floor now accommodate small shop fronts, some incorporating decorative pierced cast iron panels. A centre arched entrance to the Market Hall is fitted with some ironwork in the tympanum. A rear 2-storey block of later 19th-century date has been added but is of no architectural interest.

The interior of the northern first floor hall features arched windows with a ribbed coved ceiling, plaster cornices, tiled bands and panels, 6-panelled doors and plain panelling in the south range.

The Market Hall forms the west side of Market Place and occupies the centre of the continuous Market Place–New Square space. It functions as a focal point for views entering from the east and south, and terminates the vista along the narrow Shambles. The arcaded south side is particularly prominent from Central Pavement. The strong horizontal lines of the facades echo the long lines of windows around the other three sides of Market Place. While the scale of the Market Hall is consistent with the rest of Market Place, its size and coherent design provide a dominant accent emphasised by the tall centre tower.