Exhibition celebrates market hall's 60 years

Shrewsbury Market Hall's clock tower is one of the most recognisable features of the town's skyline

An exhibition is being launched to mark the 60th anniversary of a town's market hall.

The display of memories and stories from Shrewsbury Market Hall's six decades will launch on Tuesday, which is the building's official anniversary, and run for a month.

The postmodernist building, with its recognisable clock tower visible from miles around, is said to be one of the town's most controversial buildings.

"Love or hate its 1960s architecture, our market hall has become one of the most iconic buildings of Shrewsbury," said market manager Amy Williams, "not just for its unique design and striking huge clock tower, but the fact that it houses one of the best-loved markets in the UK."

Built by the Second Covent Garden Property Company, the market hall was designed by architect David du Rieu Aberdeen and cost £1m to build, according to Shropshire Council.

As well as the market, the building also includes a shopping centre at street level and former offices and student accommodation within an adjoining section of the building called Mardol House.

Older generations are said to mourn the loss of the Italianate Victorian market hall that once stood on the same site between Shoplatch, Claremont Street and Bellstone.

However, in the 1960s, it was the Victorian market hall built in 1869 that was described as "ugly" by civic leaders, who thought it was no longer fit for purpose.

The council said one local newspaper at the time dubbed the Victorian structure "a monstrosity".

'Britain's favourite market'

The exhibition will include historical videos showing the demolition of the old market and the building of the new one, as well as a drone flight over the market hall and clock tower.

There will also be a memory board of old photos and stories, and a series of displays showing some of the market's longest running businesses – some of them more than 100 years old.

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

The building was hailed a prime example of cutting-edge modern architecture when it was officially opened on 16 September 1965.