Borough Market, Halifax
Encyclopedia
Borough Market is a Victorian
covered market in Halifax, West Yorkshire
, England
. The market occupies a town centre site between Southgate, Albion Street and Market Street. The glass and wrought iron
covered marketplace, surrounded by stone built shops and accommodation, was built between 1891 and 1896 and opened by the future King George V and Queen Mary. The design included three public houses on the Market Street side and fishmongers' shops on Albion Street with the remaining exterior shops all being butchers' shops. The award winning market is open six days a week with some 125 market stalls.
market place built in 1790. A nearby slaughterhouse had ended the practice of slaughtering animals in the street. Trade had been concentrated here since 1810 when an Act of Parliament had been obtained which forbade street trading in other parts of the town. Another Act of Parliament in 1853 allowed Halifax council to buy New Market, as it was known, from its private owners for a price of £7,700.
The Markets and Fairs Committee decided in 1890 to replace the overflowing market place with a new structure. Local architects Joseph and John Leeming were engaged to draw up plans. A £50,000 loan was obtained by the Corporation the following year, with the final cost rising to £130,000, which was £20,000 over budget. Work began in October 1892 and progressed slowly, until the market was officially opened on 25 July 1896 by the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George V and Queen Mary. They also opened Halifax Royal Infirmary on the same day. Opening hours at the outset were 8 am to 8 pm on Mondays to Wednesdays, with half day closing on Thursdays, 8 am to 4 pm. Fridays were 8 am to 9 pm and Saturdays 6 am to 10.30 pm.
The building's stonework was cleaned in 1973, the same year that Southgate was made into a pedestrian area, with the road raised to pavement level.
In 1987 the Civic Trust
gave the market an award for its renovated Victorian shop fronts, commenting that the market has "an elegance seldom seen on such a grand scale".
In 1993 the central clock, often used as a rendezvous point, was refurbished using more than fifty square feet of gold leaf.
In 1995 the Halifax Centre Strategy Report recommended moving the fishmongers on Albion Street inside the market and replacing them with shop units to improve attractiveness and rental income.
and Wilfred Pickles
. At the centre of the market an 18 metre (60 ft) high octagonal lantern
is supported by decorative cast iron columns. Below the lantern a decorative clock was originally visible from most parts of the market, although now obscured by taller stalls. Cruciform main passages are mirrored in the structure of the roof, with solid roofing above the passages creating four glass roofed quarters, each divided into three sections, glazed with rectangular panes. Flagstones used for flooring in the market, still in good condition, came from Solomon Marshall's quarry at Southowram
, a business which has since grown into Marshalls plc
. The slope of the site is accommodated without the use of steps.
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
covered market in Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The market occupies a town centre site between Southgate, Albion Street and Market Street. The glass and wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
covered marketplace, surrounded by stone built shops and accommodation, was built between 1891 and 1896 and opened by the future King George V and Queen Mary. The design included three public houses on the Market Street side and fishmongers' shops on Albion Street with the remaining exterior shops all being butchers' shops. The award winning market is open six days a week with some 125 market stalls.
History
The site had previously been occupied by a red brick GeorgianGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
market place built in 1790. A nearby slaughterhouse had ended the practice of slaughtering animals in the street. Trade had been concentrated here since 1810 when an Act of Parliament had been obtained which forbade street trading in other parts of the town. Another Act of Parliament in 1853 allowed Halifax council to buy New Market, as it was known, from its private owners for a price of £7,700.
The Markets and Fairs Committee decided in 1890 to replace the overflowing market place with a new structure. Local architects Joseph and John Leeming were engaged to draw up plans. A £50,000 loan was obtained by the Corporation the following year, with the final cost rising to £130,000, which was £20,000 over budget. Work began in October 1892 and progressed slowly, until the market was officially opened on 25 July 1896 by the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George V and Queen Mary. They also opened Halifax Royal Infirmary on the same day. Opening hours at the outset were 8 am to 8 pm on Mondays to Wednesdays, with half day closing on Thursdays, 8 am to 4 pm. Fridays were 8 am to 9 pm and Saturdays 6 am to 10.30 pm.
The building's stonework was cleaned in 1973, the same year that Southgate was made into a pedestrian area, with the road raised to pavement level.
In 1987 the Civic Trust
Civic Trust
The Civic Trust of England was a charitable organisation founded in 1957. It ceased operations in 2009 and went into administration due to lack of funds/...
gave the market an award for its renovated Victorian shop fronts, commenting that the market has "an elegance seldom seen on such a grand scale".
In 1993 the central clock, often used as a rendezvous point, was refurbished using more than fifty square feet of gold leaf.
In 1995 the Halifax Centre Strategy Report recommended moving the fishmongers on Albion Street inside the market and replacing them with shop units to improve attractiveness and rental income.
Construction
A 5,850 m² (7,000 square yard) canopy of glass and wrought iron covers the space between ornate four storey stone buildings, topped by baroque turrets, on Southgate and Market Street, and single storey stone shops on the other sides. The multi-storey buildings contain living quarters, originally for market traders and managers. Water was originally drawn from a well near the Market Street entrance. There were originally forty three outward facing shops, all butcher's, in the stone buildings, with the exception of Albion Street where there was a fish market, and three public houses on Market Street. The pubs were the Wheatsheaf, later renamed the Portman and Pickles, the Saddle and the Peacock. The Portman and Pickles was named after Eric PortmanEric Portman
Eric Portman was a distinguished English stage and film actor...
and Wilfred Pickles
Wilfred Pickles
Wilfred Pickles OBE was an English actor and radio presenter.Born in Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Pickles was a proud Yorkshireman, and having been selected by the BBC as an announcer for its North Regional radio service, went on to be an occasional newsreader on the BBC Home Service...
. At the centre of the market an 18 metre (60 ft) high octagonal lantern
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
is supported by decorative cast iron columns. Below the lantern a decorative clock was originally visible from most parts of the market, although now obscured by taller stalls. Cruciform main passages are mirrored in the structure of the roof, with solid roofing above the passages creating four glass roofed quarters, each divided into three sections, glazed with rectangular panes. Flagstones used for flooring in the market, still in good condition, came from Solomon Marshall's quarry at Southowram
Southowram
Southowram is a village in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England that stands on the hill top to the east of Halifax, on the south side of Shibden valley. It is a small Pennine village with outlying regions of Bank Top, Brookfoot and Siddal...
, a business which has since grown into Marshalls plc
Marshalls plc
Marshalls plc is a British construction materials company headquartered in Huddersfield. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.Marshalls was established in the late 1880s. It operates quarries and factories producing natural stone and concrete hard landscaping products including bricks, slabs,...
. The slope of the site is accommodated without the use of steps.