The Pannier Market Buildings

The Pannier Market Buildings are a market complex built in 1828 and renovated around 1975. They are constructed from brown local sandstone rubble with granite arcades, stone stacks with tall, diagonally-laid red brick chimney shafts, and a slate roof. The buildings enclose a cobbled market square, which includes the Market Court House and is accessed via carriageways on the north and south sides, with the western carriageway now blocked. Single-storey stalls face into the courtyard, which backs onto the outer walls.

From the exterior, the buildings appear as long, low ranges with walls featuring blind rectangular panels, and hipped roofs at the corners. The original carriageway at the centre of the south wall, leading onto Victoria Road, has a segmental arch with a gable over it, containing original double gates that curve downwards with an iron spiked crest and diagonal plank panels. A reused 17th-century timber mullion-and-transomed window is on the right-hand side. The west side incorporates secondary lockups, and the gabled carriageway has been converted.

Inside, the original 9-bay arcade, carried on tapering granite posts with plain plinths and caps, is still open on the south side. Early stalls remain on either side of the carriageway; for example, one stall to the east of the carriageway retains butcher’s hooks and a ventilation grille. The east and west arcades have been completely blocked, and the north side is partly blocked. The interior is mostly now ceiled, but part of the north side remains open, revealing original tie-beam trusses with lap-jointed collars and raking queen struts, all fixed by wooden pegs.

The Market Square served as a focus for a scheme of improvements linked to the infill of the old mill pool. This work was supervised by the Reverend Charles Holdsworth, using family money, with the interest paid from borough income. Simultaneously, New Road (now Victoria Road) was built along the southern edge of the creek to enable horse-drawn traffic to access the town.