Scunthorpe Market

Rose Nicholson, Heritage Manager

Scunthorpe Market: The Beginning

Scunthorpe’s first market was established in 1890 by Mr. R. J. H. Parkinson. He then leased the rights to Mr. R. I. Swaby, landlord of the Blue Bell Hotel. In 1892 it was described as a ‘commodious cattle market with slaughterhouse, covering an acre of ground’.

On 7 March 1904 Scunthorpe Urban District Council polled ratepayers to see whether a new public market should be established under Section 166 of the 1875 Public Health Act. An overwhelming majority voted in favour. By 1 July 1905, the purchase of the market site and existing buildings had been completed at a cost of £5,000.

The 1906 opening was an important event. The market was one of a number of new public services established by Scunthorpe Urban District Council to meet the needs of the growing industrial town.

sepia image of a brick building with a big crowd of smartly dressed men outside — The formal opening of Scunthorpe Market on 2 March 1906 by the second Lord St Oswald, Charles Winn.

black and white image of a doorway full of people — People outside the entrance to the new Scunthorpe public Market Hall at the opening on 2 March 1906.

Building alterations and enlargements followed, including a new market hall and slaughterhouses. When it opened, market days were Fridays and Saturdays on alternate weeks, with a cattle market held next door on alternate Tuesdays. Poultry sales were held each Monday and furniture sales were held in the cattle market. The hall was also used for public events and meetings.

black and white image of a sweet stall — Scunthorpe Confectionary Company’s market during the First World War. Standing behind the counter is Mr. Keetch.

sepia image of long tables, with white tablecloths, set with plates and napkins — In the early years the Market Hall was also used for events such as this dinner laid out for a visit by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Freemasons around 1910.

black and white image of a hall full of chairs, banner says' Sheffield' — Scunthorpe Market Hall decorated for an election meeting for Sir Berkeley Sheffield on 22 February 1907.

Scunthorpe Market: Early Developments

The original market consisted of 20 open-topped stalls surrounded by 10 lock-up shops. From the start it was the policy of the various Market Committees to develop and improve the market. A new hall was added in 1925, more than doubling the accommodation available, and the area laid out for the open market at the rear was extended. This area was once the stack yard of Edward Dore’s farm on Scunthorpe High Street, which was also used as a fairground.

faint black and white image of a stall selling fruit and veg and flowers — The stall of A. Cooper, Provision Dealer, Florist and Fruiter, in Scunthorpe Market Hall around 1910. From left to right, Alf Cooper, Miss Ilety, and Mrs Ruth Cooper.

black and white image of a thatched cottage — Edward Dore’s thatched farm cottage on Scunthorpe High Street in 1910.

faint black and white image of a funfair, there are stalls and a carousel — Smith and Warren’s funfair in the Edward Dore’s farms old stack yard at Easter 1913. Scunthorpe Market stands here today.

Electric lighting was installed in 1926. In 1951 a new cattle market next to the abattoir was opened and Scunthorpe’s popular sister market in Ashby opened.

black and white image of a couple looking in a shop window — Tom and Celia Bones buying things for their new home in Scunthorpe Market around 1950. This is one of a series of Central Office of Information photographs published after the Second World War known as ‘The Bones of Steel’, telling the story of a typical Scunthorpe family of steelworkers.

black and white image, brick building in the background, two horses in the forefront and a crowd of people in the middle of the picture — Scunthorpe Cattle Market with the slaughterhouse on the right situated at the rear of the main Market Hall, around 1930.

black and white image of a shall selling sweets. Sign says ' Alfred Read, manufacturing confectioner' — Alfred Read’s confectionery stall in Scunthorpe’s Market Hall. On the right can be seen the entrance from the High Street.

Scunthorpe Market: Later Developments

The later twentieth century saw further changes to the Market. In March 1970 the cattle market was closed. On 3 November 1972 the new Food Hall, winner of a national design award, was opened as part of the Scunthorpe shopping precinct redevelopment. The Market remained a central feature of the town’s retail economy, with over 200 stalls on the site.

black and white image of an outdoor market, sign on the building says 'Scunthorpe market' — Stalls in the shopping precinct outside Scunthorpe Market in the 1970s.

black and white image of people browsing market stalls, looks to be raining — The open section of the Market in 1966.

black and white image of a man tiling a floor inside a market food hall — Tiling the floor of the new Food Hall on 25 May 1972.

black and white image of empty market stalls — Stalls in the new Market Hall, just before it was opened in November 1972. The photograph also highlights the oast house style roof.

sepia image of an indoor market, quite empty there s a few old ladies looking at a stall — Inside the new Food Hall after it was rebuilt as part of the precinct re-development.

black and white image of a brick building with boxes outside, a lady is walking her bike past — Shop units outside the new Market Hall in the mid-1970s after it was rebuilt as part of the precinct re-development.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s competition grew, notably from out of town supermarkets. Shopping trends began to change with an increase in car ownership and the lure of free parking with “everything under one roof”. The Council continued to invest in the Market and 1991 saw major repairs to the Food Hall costing £100,000, including a new floor and drainage system. Refurbishments to the Old Hall in 1994 cost £60,000.

St John’s Market Today

2 March 2006 marked the one hundredth anniversary of Scunthorpe’s public market. In 2012 the old outdoor stalls were demolished to create a new shoppers car park. Since then, the market hall has been refurbished and upgraded with free public wi-fi and communal seating rooms. The market reopened on 22 March 2019 as St John’s Market.

Today the new indoor market remains North Lincolnshire’s biggest market. The Hall houses over 70 traders under one roof. Shoppers can buy everything from buttons and pushchairs to bacon and vintage collectibles. The Food Court offers cuisines from around the world.

Visit the St John’s Market website for more information.