General Market Buildings

The General Market Buildings consist of a top-lit market hall and a row of six shops along the west elevation facing Henblas Street, with public conveniences located in the southeast corner. The entrance to the market hall is at the southwest corner and leads towards the northwest. The building features single-storey screen walls made of red Ruabon brick, accented with ashlar dressings and terracotta details, topped by a parabolic slate roof that includes a continuous glazed clerestory, ornately traceried in the north-facing gable.

The main entrance, facing the Butcher's Market across the street, is marked by scrolled ironwork screens in double gates beneath a shouldered lintel that displays 'General Market' in raised letters, all set within a high segmental archway supported by stepped pilasters. Above this is a truncated stone coped gable with ornate terracotta corbelling and volutes at the parapet. From this angled entrance, the screen walls extend east and north. The short eastern return contains the public conveniences, featuring an advanced entrance to the right, a second arched doorway in the center, and small recessed windows with raking sills and stone lintels.

The longer northern range accommodates the shops, some of which retain original details such as recessed doorways and iron-framed windows with slender bracketed corner posts and upper margin lights. Although the fascias were originally incorporated in iron framing, much of this detail has been renewed. Brick pilasters are positioned at the outer angles, supporting a stone cornice that extends over the shop fronts and culminates in a parapet with inset terracotta panels. A second entrance to the market hall is located towards the north, mirroring the main entrance with scrolled screens leading to paired iron gates and a flat stone lintel beneath a raised panelled parapet. Additionally, another shop, styled like the others, occupies the northwest corner of the site, while the elevations to the east and north are blind.

The market hall itself features five aisled bays with apsidal ends, supported by cast iron octagonal columns with ornamental capitals. These columns carry hooped iron trusses, which are complemented by openwork angle brackets over the aisles and between the trusses, and the roof is finished with tongue and groove boarding.