English Market Towns - Hardcover

The book is part of a collection of books released under the heading of 'The English Tourist Board's Discover England' series. Throughout history, markets have been vital centres of commerce and meeting places for the exchange of news. Today, sleepy towns are still transformed each week by the bustle of the market, their streets suddenly noisy with the calls of tradesmen and colourful with the wares and awnings of the stalls that fill them. Dividing the country into six regions, the author vividly evokes the unique atmosphere of English market towns, their distinctive architectural styles and the wealth of local tradition and history that they offer. An introduction traces the development and significance of the market, followed by a survey of fifty towns to be visited throughout the country. Most market places are historical conglomerations: the visitor might shop for twentieth-century goods in a seventeenth-century market hall in an eleventh-century market place. The author describes the character of each market and discusses the individual features of the town. For example, Shepton Mallet, set in the undulating landscape of Somerset, boasts a market cross which has been the commercial core and social centre of the town for five centuries - at one time even wives were put up for sale here. Ledbury, its sixteenth-century black and white houses set in lush green water meadows, is distinguished by its herring-bone patterned market house. Barnard Castle's octagonal market hall, complete with elegant lantern and Doric pillars, was the target of rival marksmen in the nineteenth century, their bullet holes still discernible in the weather vane. In addition, the author suggests places to visit of particular interest such as museums, houses, churches and historic inns, and also recounts local stories and customs. A regional map locates each town at a glance and a gazetteer lists additional market towns to be visited.