Lost Landmarks: Hereford Market Hall

Herefordshire History
Written By The Herefordian Historian .

It would be hard to imagine how High Town looked centuries ago, cluttered up with numerous timber-framed buildings, which surely made what is now an open, airy space feel rather dim and dingy. However, there is one building that is sorely missed from the scene, and that I’m sure many would welcome back with open arms if it were to suddenly reappear.

Standing at the west end of High Town was once one of the finest Gothic buildings in the county, and indeed all of England: Hereford’s old Market Hall. It is thought to have taken three years to build and was completed in 1576, when Queen Elizabeth I still sat upon the throne.

Supported atop 27 pillars were two floors. The first accommodated the various courts held by the city, as well as space for public meetings, and was used by the County Council until March 1817, when they moved to the newly completed Shire Hall. The second housed rooms for the city’s 14 trade and craft guilds. Crowning this resplendent structure was a domed bell tower, the tip of which towered 100 feet above street level.

Hereford Market Hall as it orignally appeared, looking northwest

It would have been quite an impressive sight to those milling about High Town when it still existed. For a while, a local legend persisted that John Abel, a prolific Herefordshire carpenter, designed and built the Market Hall, but he could not have, for he was born after it was completed.

Despite the building’s importance, the City Council did not meet there, but instead met at the Tolsey, a stone building that once stood where Commercial Street joins High Town. It was from here that the Market Hall was governed and its tolls collected.

When finished, it was the pride of the entire city, and one 17th century visitor to Hereford described it as being ‘the stateliest building in the kingdom, built with columns after the manner of the [Royal] Exchange [in London]’. They might have been viewing it through rose-tinted glasses however, as in 1638, it was noted that the Market Hall was already falling into disrepair.

Not only this, but its darker corners were also harbouring miscreants. In 1628, it was reported that the space beneath the stairs to the first floor was being inhabited by a number of ‘disorderly people’.

A model of the Market Hall by L.J. Starkey. Here we can see the north elevation of the building, complete with the stairway up to the first floor.

A century later, the ruinous state of the building had become too much of a problem to ignore, especially considering that the market was still held between the tottering columns. In 1749, new sash windows were added, but this was little more than a superficial improvement. Something more drastic had to be done.

In 1770, the county magistrates who met at the Market Hall were approached by the carpenter and builder Francis Thomas, who was deeply concerned by his inspection of the building. He found that several of the columns had given way, causing the floors above to pull themselves apart. Furthermore, the west end was beginning to sink, dragging the new sash windows out of alignment.

He proposed that two changes needed to be made if the Market Hall was to survive. The first was that the entire second floor should be removed to lessen the load on the pillars, and also because the guilds that had once used it had almost all ceased to exist. The second was to add a whole new roof atop the first floor.

His suggestions were seconded by Thomas Farnolls, a Shrewsbury architect, who added that the exterior of the building should be cased in roughcast to protect it from the elements. Surprisingly, all of these alterations were carried out, and by 1793, the Market Hall had lost its bell tower and second floor, but it was now a shadow of its former self.

The Market Hall after its controversial renovation

At first, Hereford’s Georgian citizens saw it to be an improvement on the old-fashioned Gothic building, but just a few decades later, the ‘renovation’ was already being slated for its lack of sensitivity towards the Market Hall’s historic structure.

It had lost all its character, and now appeared to be a poor imitation of the Classical style that was so popular at the time. All that could be seen of the original building were the pillars, which would have clashed horribly with its new look.

In the 19th century, the amount of buildings clogging up High Town began to be looked upon as an eyesore and a nuisance to traffic. By 1837, almost all of Butchers’ Row to the east had been demolished, with only the Old House being left to stand, and it wouldn’t be long before the Market Hall’s time came.

Having been a blemish on the city’s architectural reputation since its mutilation in the late 18th century, the building was finally pulled down in 1861. After centuries, High Town was once again the spacious marketplace it had first been when the Normans created it in the 11th century. Yet, one cannot help but mourn for the loss of Hereford’s great Elizabethan Market Hall.

Fortunately, remnants of it still survive. After it was swept away, the leftover material was sold off in a piecemeal fashion for £200, with some of its structural elements being repurposed by a number of the county’s wealthier households. At Holmer Hall, a summer house incorporating some of the old Gothic columns still stands within the grounds, serving as a reminder of what was once the jewel in Hereford’s architectural crown.

Sources

  • Collins, W. (1912). A Short History of Hereford. Jakeman and Carver.

  • Johnson, A., & Shoesmith, R. (2016). The Story of Hereford. Logaston Press.

  • Roberts, G. (2001). The Shaping of Modern Hereford. Logaston Press.

  • Weaver, P. (2015). A Dictionary of Herefordshire Biography. Logaston Press.

Images

The Herefordian Historian . https://herefordianhistorian.co.uk
Previous

A Hike Cut Short
Next

Georgian Glamour: The City Arms Hotel