The Covered Market

The Covered Market is a market building that was rebuilt and enlarged between 1834 and 1840 by Thomas Wyatt the younger, with further work done by H.J. Underwood from 1842 to 1849, H.J. Tollit in 1875, Codd and Gardiner in 1881, E.G. Bruton in 1886 and 1887, and additional modifications in 1888, 1892 to 1893, and 1898. The structure is made of ashlar and timber, with iron and timber roofs covered in slates.

The market has a plan featuring four north-south aisles crossed by transverse aisles in a grid pattern, with various shops located throughout, all covered by iron and timber roofs. The exterior facing Market Street has three gabled bays on the right (west) side, adorned with ball finials and Venetian windows on the first floor. The ground floor features a blind arcade with imposts and keystones in the left and center sections, and a pilastered carriageway on the right, topped with a small cartouche. To the east, there are hipped roof canopies that extend over glazed timber and open ends to the aisles, along with a large louvred hipped roof ventilator.

Inside, the aisles are supported by arch-braced king-post timber trusses with struts, and the roofs are made of cast iron with clerestorey windows and tie-rods. The tie-beams are inscribed with "Dewer London 1839." The shops have pilastered fronts and clerestorey windows above.

The Covered Market was originally started in 1772 to 1774 based on designs by John Gwynn, but the only remaining part of this original work is the front range facing High Street, which is listed separately. The current covered market structure is a 19th-century reconstruction.