Old Market Hall
Encyclopedia
The Old Market Hall is an Elizabethan building situated in the town centre of Shrewsbury
, the county town of Shropshire
, England
.
Built in 1596, the property is now in the ownership of Shropshire Council
. In 2004 the building underwent a £1.7 million restoration, having been previously restored in 1904. The OMH is a scheduled monument.
The Hall, an example of Late Tudor
influence with primarily Elizabethan architecture
, had two storeys: the large upper room was originally used by the Shrewsbury drapers or dealers in cloth to sell Welsh wool and the lower floor was used by farmers to sell their corn. The Old Market Hall was one of the earliest forms of prefabricated buildings; it was erected in less than four months. It bears the Royal Coat of Arms of Queen Elizabeth I, with the date of 1596, and the supporters are the English Lion and the Welsh dragon. On the North side of the Old Market Hall there is a statue of the Duke of York; it is the only one in the whole country. It is thought the OMH was designed by Walter Haycock.
A previous Market House was built on the same site in the 1260s. This building was demolished to make way for the Market Hall.
The OMH is made from Grinshill stone (from the North of Shropshire) and was used by wool merchants as a place to sell their fleeces. The post holes where fleeces were hung can still be seen today.
The top room of the old Market Hall was used as the town's magistrates court until 1995. The lower part of the structure has been used for many purposes, including as an air raid shelter during the Second World War.
Above the main arch there is a statue of a man in armour; he is thought to have been the Duke of York. This sculpture was originally located on the Welsh Bridge and it was moved to its current location on the orders of the town mayor in 1771.
Recently the Market Hall building has been refurbished as an arts venue and café, showcasing films and digital media.. Since 2006, the Market Hall has been the venue for the annual Rainbow Film Festival - Shropshire Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
.
The Old Market Hall falls under the administration of the Shropshire Council's Arts & Heritage Department.
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, the county town of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, 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...
.
Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council is a unitary authority in Shropshire, United Kingdom.It replaced the former two-tier local government structure in the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire on 1 April 2009, which involved its immediate predecessor, Shropshire County Council, and five non-metropolitan districts -...
. In 2004 the building underwent a £1.7 million restoration, having been previously restored in 1904. The OMH is a scheduled monument.
The Hall, an example of Late Tudor
Tudor architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
influence with primarily Elizabethan architecture
Elizabethan architecture
Elizabethan architecture is the term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Historically, the period corresponds to the Cinquecento in Italy, the Early Renaissance in France, and the Plateresque style in Spain...
, had two storeys: the large upper room was originally used by the Shrewsbury drapers or dealers in cloth to sell Welsh wool and the lower floor was used by farmers to sell their corn. The Old Market Hall was one of the earliest forms of prefabricated buildings; it was erected in less than four months. It bears the Royal Coat of Arms of Queen Elizabeth I, with the date of 1596, and the supporters are the English Lion and the Welsh dragon. On the North side of the Old Market Hall there is a statue of the Duke of York; it is the only one in the whole country. It is thought the OMH was designed by Walter Haycock.
A previous Market House was built on the same site in the 1260s. This building was demolished to make way for the Market Hall.
The OMH is made from Grinshill stone (from the North of Shropshire) and was used by wool merchants as a place to sell their fleeces. The post holes where fleeces were hung can still be seen today.
The top room of the old Market Hall was used as the town's magistrates court until 1995. The lower part of the structure has been used for many purposes, including as an air raid shelter during the Second World War.
Above the main arch there is a statue of a man in armour; he is thought to have been the Duke of York. This sculpture was originally located on the Welsh Bridge and it was moved to its current location on the orders of the town mayor in 1771.
Recently the Market Hall building has been refurbished as an arts venue and café, showcasing films and digital media.. Since 2006, the Market Hall has been the venue for the annual Rainbow Film Festival - Shropshire Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
Rainbow Film Festival - Shropshire Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
The Rainbow Film Festival - Shropshire Lesbian and Gay Film Festival takes place every year in Shrewsbury, in the county of Shropshire, England and will celebrate its sixth birthday in 2011. Organised completely by volunteers, the event features films with a lesbian and gay context from around the...
.
The Old Market Hall falls under the administration of the Shropshire Council's Arts & Heritage Department.