> Market Towns

Market Towns are an age old tradition in the United Kingdom. The UK is dotted with market towns which continue to sell a range of wares from all kinds of traders.  Unfortunately, many markets and market towns have been slowly fading away due to stiff competition from the modern high street, low cost products from outside of the UK and new development. 

Before the 19th Century most of the English and UK population made their livelihoods through farming both livestock and agriculture.  Most people lived and worked outside of the nearest towns with only a small population living in the central towns.  These central towns were the market towns where people brought their farm produce to trade and sell.  These market towns were the hub of local activity and were a hugely important feature of rural life.  A place where people would come to trade in the market, socialise, and shop.  To this day there are towns dotted all over the UK with names that serve as a reminder to this market town environment.  Places like Market Harborough, Market Drayton as well as towns with names starting with Chipping; a Saxon verb meaning "to buy" (Chipping Norton, Chipping Sodbury)

A world away from the high street and shopping complexes of today, these market towns often grew up close to fortified places like castles.  As with most central villages, towns, and cities most market towns were located close to transport routes and cross roads or close to rivers.  Even when Railways were introduced, market towns were seen as central points and the railways were key to transporting goods.  As railways became more integrated market town locations became even more based on the system, particularly as the English Monarchy brought in laws which set a strict distance between new establishing market towns and existing market towns.

Similar to what we see today, traditional market towns were focused around a main street or market square.  A place where traders could come and set up their stalls, booths and wares to sell on designated market days.  Towns often had a religious symbol erected in the centre of town at the market location, a market cross which was meant to bring God’s blessing to the trade.  Market Towns also had a market hall and many of these signs of a market town still exist today in market towns as diverse as Greenwich Market in London, Morpeth market town, Chichester, Calderdale in Yorkshire, and Framlingham in Suffolk.

To this day the National Federation of Market Traders (NFMT), which is located in South Yorkshire, has 36,000 members and there are links with other market town federations around Europe. All market customers hold the same rights when buying in a market town as they would in a high street store or mall.

The Market Town was set up to sell wares, gifts, clothing, handbags and many other products found throughout markets and market towns in the UK.