'We opened 60 years ago, on the day the market did'

John Bliss Butchers has been at Shrewsbury Market Hall since the day it opened

Shrewsbury businesses in the town's market hall have been toasting its 60th birthday, with one firm also celebrating being in business since the very day the doors opened.

John Bliss Butchers - which is still family run - also started trading six decades ago, on 16 September 1965.

It is now owned by Steve Williams, Mr Bliss's grandson, who started helped out on the stall at the age of 11.

"It's amazing I'm still here to be fair, let alone the whole building - a lot of other stalls have been here a very long time, it's wonderful to keep going," said Mr Williams.

A display of memories and stories from Shrewsbury Market Hall's history launched on 16 September, the building's official anniversary, and will run for a month.

"It's incredibly modernised now to what it was, it's unbelievable that we've got coffee shops and restaurants – we used to have one small cafe in here and that was it," Mr Williams continued.

A display of memories has been put up at the site, and will remain there for about a month

"There used to be old fashioned benches that people would put their stuff on... now it's proper little units," he told BBC Shropshire.

"Upstairs at one point in the late 80s, early 90s, not one unit was taken - and we all thought that would be the end of the market.

"To keep it going in the same family is absolutely amazing, it doesn't happen very often, I don't think."

Cornalls Seafood is at least a century old, and used to have a shop in Mardol, as well as a stall in the market hall

Cornalls Seafood is also one of the most recognisable businesses in the market.

It is run by Ian Cornell, who started working for the business, then called Barkworths, in 1988, when he was 18.

Customer saved fishmonger

At 26, he was told the owner was retiring and selling up, but he could not afford to buy the business.

However, a customer stepped up to loan him the money to take it on, and after paying them back over three years, Mr Cornell has been in charge for nearly 30 years.

On the market hall, Mr Cornell told BBC Radio Shropshire: "It used to have a reputation for being a cheap place where you get cheap stuff, but now it's completely turned that on its head and it's a place where you come for quality and stuff that you can't get in the supermarkets.

"It's a great meeting place for people, it's a really vibrant place to be, with the cafes and stuff in here now.

"It's just a really nice mix of businesses and customers."

Shrewsbury's indoor market has claimed the title of Britain's Favourite Market a record four times – in 2018, 2023, 2024 and 2025