Old Market Hall

Old Market Hall

This market hall comprises a tall two-storey main range aligned north-south, with a complex polygonal block projecting to its west. A lower two-storey range extends to the north. The 1860s work is built of roughly coursed rubble; the 1880s work uses rock-faced stone. Slate roofs throughout, with terracotta ridge tiles to the 1880s range, which has brick dentilled eaves to its western elevations. Most openings were boarded up at inspection in March 2020, and original joinery detail has largely been lost.

The eastern elevation of the main block contains five bays. The central three bays project forward under a half-hipped roof extending from the main roofline, possibly added to the original 1860s building. This projection contains three doorways and a single window at ground floor, with two windows above. The rubble-built left outer bay has doorways in both storeys; the upper storey door retains original double doors with a small-pane margin-lit over-light visible on the inside. The south gable return, overlooking the railway, is also rubble built with two windows on each floor (one blocked). A rubble-built link to the north range at the right, with a doorway and blocked window above, probably dates from the original 1860s construction.

The polygonal wing, part of the second phase of work around 1880, advances to the west with a further polygonal projection at the centre of its western elevation. The roof of this projection sweeps up into a small pavilion roof topped by cast-iron brattishing. The ground floor contains shallow segmentally arched openings, with round-arched openings above. Paired windows to the first floor of the projecting bay are accompanied by a decorative cast-iron balconette supported by stone corbels. The polygonal wing has paired windows and a doorway to the ground floor of the left-hand return. Large round-headed arched doorways occupy the canted angles of the polygonal wing, one retaining ornate ironwork detail as a fanlight. Two further doorways appear in the main range to the left, and another entrance lies up slate steps with remains of an iron hand-rail in a small block in the angle between the main range and polygonal wing.

The lower north range has a four-window front facing north. Paired sashes occupy the upper storey, while the lower storey has replacement windows and a doorway left of centre under an overlight (boarded up at inspection). An additional doorway in the west gable end features an ornately moulded door and frame, with a window alongside and two windows above, all replacements in probably original openings. The east gable has a low doorway with a sash window above to the left, and a blocked opening to the right.

The market hall interior consists of one large space on each floor, belying the complexity of the exterior plan. Walls are exposed rubble stone. The lower storey contains four rows of cast-iron columns supporting long beams that carry the first floor. In the south-east corner is a dog-leg stair with turned balusters (inaccessible at the time of inspection). The upper storey was evidently used as a theatre and retains remnants of an elliptical proscenium arch in plaster and wood. The roof spans two bays oriented east-west with five bays at right angles to it. The complex roof framing includes king- and queen-post trusses with raking struts, constructed of Baltic pine and of unusually large dimensions, with close-spaced rafters. Iron tie rods further strengthen the roof.

The north range has walls faced with random rubble painted white. It is divided into three unequal units, with the stair and landing occupying the central unit. One fireplace appears in the lower storey; fireplaces occupy both main rooms in the upper storey, all with large slate-stone lintels. The straight stair has replacement stick balusters and moulded tread-ends. The landing balustrade is similar.