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This page last updated Sunday June 20, 2010
Warrington Market - still going strong after more than 750 years

VOTED BEST INDOOR MARKET IN THE UK 2009

Featured on this page
Market Guided Tour
Mark Olly	Market Medieval Event	Time Square
The Market Today	Staffordshire Pot Fair	Time Square Redevelopment

Warrington Market, situated on Bank Street, at the heart of Time Square Shopping Centre (9 May 2005).

2005 saw the 750th Anniversary of a Royal Charter presented to the 7th Baron of Warrington, Sir William Fitz Almeric le Boteler by King Henry III permitting him to hold an annual fare at his manor of Warrington.

John Leland, an antiquarian and traveller who toured England in the mid-1530s,
stated that "Warrington...has a better market than Manchester..."

In 2009 it was voted the Best Indoor Market in the UK at the National Conference of Market Operators.

MARKET GUIDED TOUR

On Friday 9 September, 2005, I had the privilege of going on a guided tour of Warrington Market to celebrate the 750th Anniversary. It was part of the Heritage Open Days, which take place every year to give people a chance to see around buildings and properties which don't normally open to the public. The idea began in 1994. The tour was conducted by TVs Mark Olly, presenter of the Lost Treasures series on ITV. He was assisted by Steve Pickering, Market Manager.

Here are the stories I picked up on the day, and my thanks go to Mark and Steve for allowing me to use extracts from their commentary.

When the original market started in 1255, the total population of Warrington was about 600. The total working population of the market now is about 600! The earliest date for holding a fair in Warrington is 20 October, 1255, when the 7th Baron of Warrington, Sir William Fitz Almeric le Boteler, was granted a Royal Charter by King Henry III to hold a three-day fair every year on the eve, day and morrow of St Thomas the Martyr. The Charter also granted permission for a market on Wednesdays. The town in those days was known as Wherington. Charters were granted by the crown as rewards to barons and landowners for services rendered to the Sovereign.

The Market Hall,
viewed from Academy Way.

On 5 November, 1277, William asks King Edward for permission to hold a Friday market and an 8-day fair on the eve, day and morrow of St Andrew the Apostle. A third Charter of 1285 gives permission for a weekly market on Wednesdays and to extend the July fair by five days.

On 3 March, 1367, an application was made to the Black Prince to hold two fairs in every year in the village of Latchford, on the eve and day of St John before the Latin Gate. So there was a gate in Latchford called the Latin Gate. What it shows is that there was never really just one market in the town, i.e. we had the horse market, butter market, cattle market, a market on Church Street, etc.

A survey of 31 May, 1592, in Queen Elizabeth I's reign, reveals they had one weekly market and two yearly fairs which couldn’t begin until the market bell was rung.

Warrington Corporation bought the medieval charters off John Henry Ireland Blackburne, Lord of the Manor, in 1852. This resulted in the building of what we would remember as 'the old market’, which was demolished in the 1970s to make way for Golden Square Shopping Centre.

In the northeast corner of the current market is Reardon's fish stall, which has operated since the 1850s, with different generations of the same family progressing through the ages.

John Cross and Sons is one of the original stallholders from the old market where Golden Square is now. There are 11 butchers stalls in the market.

The Tourist Information Centre opened in 1991 at Poll Tax House on Rylands Street and was fairly successful, but since moving to the market, the number of people using it has gone up 300%. This shows that the community centre is now based around the market, more so than in other buildings in the town. This would mirror the original market of 750 years ago when everybody turned out for the market, just like other towns nowadays, where they only hold a market on so many days of the week, such as Northwich on three days.

Mark is interviewed on
Wire FM by Pete Pinnington.

Becoming more publicised now is Fairtrade, and Warrington Market’s own Fairtrade stall, Fair 4 All, has recently doubled in size and celebrated its 3rd birthday in 2005.

"Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives." From Fairtrade Foundation website.

If you are interested in supporting this kind of venture, call at the stall in the market, or log on to the Fairtrade Foundation website. See also the Make Poverty History website. Warrington Borough council's website has a Fairtrade Directory which can be downloaded in PDF format. Click here.

In the original market there were lots of specialist fruit and veg stalls, but now there is only one – Rigby’s. Steve says that the owner is a very organised businessman and suggests it would be very difficult to start up a fruit and veg business from scratch these days, as you have to compete with the big supermarkets.

One thing the public might not be aware of, is that there are two floors below the stall area for storage and deliveries, which are almost as big in size as the retail area. As it was National Heritage Weekend across the country, we were lucky enough to go down to these other areas that the public don’t normally see. What surprised me when we were down there was how neat and tidy it is. Everybody keeps it that way, and as the market itself does not employ the stallholders, nobody can make them clean up, so it is a credit to all who keep it that way. The delivery area is at ground level off Academy Street, as is the public area upstairs. This is because the market itself is built on a step in the land, literally into a hillside.

The Market Cart.

Still in use in the market is the wooden hand cart shown above. Notice it still has County Borough of Warrington painted on the side. It dates to about the First World War, and is used for the cardboard that accumulates from the delivery boxes.

Even the service bays for the properties on Bridge Street, such as the former Boots store, are located in the market delivery area. You never see a delivery truck for Boots on Bridge Street itself. But there are not too many places down there for the traders to park their vehicles – it is usually a case of drive in, unload, go up in the lift with the goods to the middle floor storage area, come back down again and drive away. The middle floor is also used by the fire brigade for fire practice. They fill it with smoke to simulate a real fire. Mark describes the middle floor as Warrington’s equivalent of Area 51 where they keep the aliens hidden under the desert! You could easily get lost in here and Steve joked he once found one of the traders wandering round for years! Two-thirds of the £1.5million cost of building the market went into these two non-public areas. A bit like a maze of storage areas which branch off in all directions. It was fascinating being down there.

One of the longest-established stallholders is Mr Latif’s clothing stall. He began in 1953 in the old market. In the southwest corner of the market are two more: Warrington Foam Supplies and Whites sports shop. The observant ones among you will remember that Whites used to be on Sankey Street, opposite Woolworth’s, close to the old market, and moved into the new market in the 1970s. The business started in 1901.

Now, what happened to the old market clock? Mr Butterworth, owner of one of the longest-established bedding and towel stalls, knows. In the 1970s, when the old market was being demolished, the demolition team brought in one of the old demolition balls on a crane. Mr Butterworth and his friend were rescuing pennies from below the floor boards which had been knocked down there over the years. Whilst they were doing this, they noticed the iron ball heading towards the clock and they stopped them from smashing it up. They paid the bulldozer man a fiver to go for an early lunch break so they could have a discussion with the town clerk about what to do with the clock. They managed to negotiate a figure of £40 to buy the clock, and were given two days to dismantle and remove it.

The market today,
25 April 2005.

The clock subsequently vanished and the story went around that it was on a farm in Cheshire. It is actually in Stretton, having been restored to former glory, or at least, two of the four sides were. The clock was originally made by clockmakers 'Joyce' of Whitchurch.

It was a really fascinating day going behind the scenes.

The market published a booklet showing some of the old market scenes. It features contributions from famous people who have worked at the market, including TV presenter Chris Evans.

Mark Olly - Celtic Warrington and Other Mysteries

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If this is the first time you have heard of Mark Olly, now is the time to catch up on Warrington's authority on the Celtic history of the town. His excellent series of books, Celtic Warrington & Other Mysteries, are available in all good bookshops, published by Churnet Valley Books, with book four of five now in preparation. They are used as the basis for his ITV1 television series Lost Treasures, which has seen two series broadcast so far.

Now here's a useless exercise which connects with Mark's Celtic history: Take the initial letters of the above statements (WOOAWIJTBIOSEON), and make the longest single word you can to find something in the plural that you might find in the ground after an archaeological dig. The answer can be found at the bottom of this page. If you can make a longer word, tell me in the Feedback page.

Medieval Event 2005

On 22 and 23 July, 2005, the town celebrated its 750th Anniversary with a Medieval event of displays, music, demonstrations and public participation. Hundreds of people witnessed the occasion as various re-enactment groups performed or demonstrated life from the Middle Ages. mywarrington covered the event and now presents a selection of images recalling the occasion.

Art and craft demonstrations were provided across the town centre. Roy and Margaret Figgis set up their Candles for All Ages company in 2004, having begun the partnership nine years earlier. Roy tells me he began researching the skills to assist his daughter in her history studies. Visitors at the event could buy various shaped candles or if they felt brave enough, make their own (as many did). Roy and Margaret's customers include museums, castles, the National Trust and schools. They travel to re-enactment fares all across the country and are based in Cambridgeshire. Find out more at www.candles-for-all-ages.com


Roy and Margaret outside Warrington Market, left, with a workshop in action.

Throughout the 2-day event, various other skills were shown. These included medieval cooking and a forge where a metal worker showed how coins, spoons and other items were made. If you felt sick the doctor could heal you with the methods of the day. She tells me that modern medicine owes a lot to those medieval physicians because, although our technology might be more advanced, our pills include many of the same ingredients they used hundreds of years ago. The barber surgeon not only cut your hair, he could also cut you leg off if you got a disease in it. If you felt skilful with the pen you could try out the art of calligraphy or even some painting. The event was hands-on for anybody who wished to have a go.

Some of the various skills being demonstrated around the town centre.

Food preparation.	Food preparation.	Metalworking.	Doctor.

Barber.	Barber.	Art.	Writing.

Comedy entertainment was provided by a puppet theatre telling the story of Robin Hood.
You could also see the ratcatcher who performed a magic show at Cockhedge Shopping Park.


Be entertained with the puppet show...	but make sure the ratcatcher doesn't get you...	or he might throw you in the stocks!

Re-enactment group, Knights in Battle Medieval Society (www.knightsinbattle.com) performed
battle drill, acted out plays and encouraged the audience to take part in their demonstrations.

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Medieval music was provided by Tony Westran of Fine Tuning. They provide various services, including making and supplying early and unusual musical instruments and accessories, hands-on workshops, lectures and special interest CDs and tapes.
Click here for more on Tony. See also www.chimera-costumes.co.uk.


Tony demonstrates a small selection of Fine Tuning's instruments.

Also entertaining the crowds with medieval music were Daughters of Elvin. Their performance included a dancing pig.

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Historian and TV presenter Mark Olly was on hand to talk about the Celtic period.

For more information about the performers and demonstrators, click their links below.

www.knightsinbattle.com www.candles-for-all-ages.com

Originally, the market was based in the centre of Warrington where Golden Square is now. There were three main sections: the meat market, the fish market and the general market. The meat market was built in 1856 and housed in a Victorian brick and stone building off Cheapside and Market Place. The iron-framed fish market was added in 1873 and the general market was built on land behind the Barley Mow public house. To get from the fish market to the general market you went through a small tunnel at the side of the entrance to the pub. It is still there to this day, but nowadays it leads to the Golden Square management office.

Market foundation stone
My breath was still in short pants when this was laid!

The Market Today

In the late 1960s new strict regulations on health and hygiene were introduced nationwide, and it was felt that, as it could not meet the new standards, Warrington Market would need to be rebuilt. There was no space to build a new market building in the same area without disrupting existing businesses, so it was decided to completely rebuild the market on spare land in Bank Street, which previously housed a car park. This decision angered many stallholders as it took them further away from the town centre shopping area. I imagine they feel it worse today because at least in those days buses still travelled along Horsemarket Street and Buttermarket Street - now it is all pedestrianised. They did, however, retain something of the original market - the outside framework of the fish market was preserved and refurbished to form a central open area in the new Golden Square shopping centre, begun in 1973. The Old Fish Market, as it is now known, has hosted many entertainment activities from TV and radio personalities, as well as open air concerts and charity events.
	25 Apr 2005. The Dolman's Lane entrance by the River of Life fountain. (You won't find Dolman's Lane on any modern map!)
Although the new market is modern and warmer, you will hear many of the older residents of the town, and indeed market stallholders, say that the market has lost its olden days charm. It just isn't the same anymore, you will hear people say. There are some videos and DVDs of Warrington's past available from the Tourist Information Centre, which feature some of the stallholders sharing their memories of the old days.

They make a wonderful souvenir of your visit to this charming industrial market town.


New Market Walk - 25 Apr 05.	Bank Street - 25 Apr 2005.	The courtyard - 25 Apr 2005.

In 2005 the borough council gave the market a bit of a facelift by adding a new roof section around the entrance.


The facelift of 2005.	Access to the market from Academy Way and the car park.

The market has over 250 stalls and shops and is open Mon - Sat, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
It has its own car park on Academy Way, connected by a pedestrian bridge,
with full disabled access and Shopmobility facilities.

STAFFORDSHIRE POT FAIR

VISITED WARRINGTON MARKET
MONDAY 3RD - SATURDAY 8TH APRIL 2006
Craft Demonstrations Family Entertainment Competitions and Giveaways

	Royal Doulton Minton Bohemian Crystal Imari Spode Wedgwood Crown Derby Caverswall Waterford Crystal Coalport Johnson Churchill Ainsley Royal Albert Barbantia Prestige Mayer

	Images from the 2005 event

Time Square

Time Square was completed in 1986. Around that time, Golden Square shopping centre redevelopment was being discussed. In the late 1990s, there was also a rival bid to redevelop Time Square and the market area. The Time Square development would involve demolishing the existing shops and remodelling the market. This would allow a further 17,500 square metres of shopping space. The developers, Time Square Retails Investments, had also agreed to fund a series of transport measures, including part-funding of a new bus station and to improve the environmental area of Palmyra Square.

Time Square 25 Apr 2005.

There was bitter rivalry towards the end of the 20th century between the two schemes. One of the comments I heard from a supporter of Time Square was that if the bus station was moved towards Scotland Road it would be too far from the market and people wouldn't visit. I personally find that a little extreme and in my experience, the opposite is true. I have been asked on many occasions by visitors to the town for directions to the market. And the same out of town. People will always want to visit a market because of the special qualities unique to that setting - a retail chain store just cannot give the same experience. I am proud to shop in my local market and look forward to many more years of service.

The Golden Square extension is now completed, a planning application for vacant land off Winwick Street near Central Station has just been granted, whilst a new plan to redevelop Time Square was postponed again in 2006. The developers, Big Apple Warrington, revised their plan which had been rejected to allow further discussion on the affordability of housing. The town still has to tempt people away from The Trafford Centre and even Meadowhall at Sheffield. FREE car parking facilities would be a good start (one Warrington resident told me he shops in Widnes for that very reason). Also, allowing adverts for Trafford Centre on the back of Warrington's buses didn't exactly help either! The details of the redevelopment are show below.

NEW TIME SQUARE
In a decision which disappointed the Time Square retailers, the government refused to grant planning permission for the scheme. Reasons given were that it was not in a regeneration area and that it was currently in use.
The £75million New Time Square was to be a mixed use development including a 10 screen multiplex cinema, family restaurants, retail units and residential apartments. It would have included underground car parking and a new bridge link to the existing multi-storey car park on Academy Way. The area would compliment the existing area and encourage shoppers to stay on in the evening. Central to the development was a landscaped public square where people could meet and watch a big screen or enjoy the experience of alfresco dining at one of the many restaurants. It was designed to compliment the Market Hall and the adjoining retailers, and the developers believe it was important for the future of Warrington's south east quarter, and as a new town centre venue New Time Square would be an asset to the whole of Warrington and beyond. The partnership behind the scheme was made up of The Big Apple Warrington, Amstone, Dalgleish Retail Property Insight, Lowry Homes, Signet Planning and Leach Rhodes Walker Architects.

My own photograph of how the existing Time Square looks, taken in June 2003 from the position of the proposed link bridge to the existing multi-storey car park on Academy Way.	Artist impression of the development featuring multiplex cinema, restaurants, retail units and residential apartments, designed to compliment the market.	Location map with the development highlighted and a plan of the site. Restaurants are shown in light blue, retail units in dark blue and the cinema is shown in yellow in the bottom right corner. The residential apartments were contained in an 11-storey block above the units with underground parking for 419 cars.

I have photographed the New Time Square model from four different angles. In the first view, Academy Way is at the bottom of the photo and Warrington Market is shown on the bottom left with the pyramid roof sections.

I am grateful for the help and assistance from Big Apple Warrington and express my appreciation for permission to
reproduce their artist's impressions and descriptions, which have been incorporated into my own text.

Bar Tempo pub 25 Apr 2005.
It was known as Tamarind
Table in June 2009.

See a more detailed history of the market at the Warrington Borough Council website

The clock featured in the image at the top of this page is on a wall half-way down Bank Street. It doesn't work, but at least it is right twice a day!
It used to be on a pawnbroker's shop in Mersey Street. See www.hwells.co.uk (Warrington in Camera section) for a photo of it.

THE ANSWER TO MY ANAGRAM PUZZLE IS: JAWBONES
THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM: TRY THESE OTHER WORDS WHICH CAN BE MADE FROM THE SAME LETTERS, WOOAWIJTBIOSEON
OTHER BODY PARTS: JOINTS, NOSE, SINEW, TIBIA, WAIST
THINGS YOU MIGHT WEAR ON YOUR BODY: JEANS, BOOTS, SATIN
THINGS TO EAT: BEANS, OATS, STEW, +(maybe) ANTS, BATS and JOINT(!)
PEOPLE'S NAMES: BEN, BET, IAN, JANE, JANET, JASON, JEAN, JOAN, JOE, JOB (from the Bible), JON, NAT, SEAN, STAN, STEW(!)
ANIMALS and CREEPY CRAWLIES: ANTS, BATS, BASENJI (a type of dog which doesn't bark. They use them as guard dogs in libraries!), BISON, NEWTS, SWINE. Can we get away with BEAST?
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS: BANJO, OBOE. Other musical words: BATON, BEAT, TONE, NOTE. And if you don't like the performer: BOOS!

Altogether, I located 288 words or acronyms. I've only listed 44 of them cos I got bored with it as well!