ONE DARLINGTON JANUARY 2021

Loving local: Take a closer
look at Darlington Market Hall
If you saw the scaffolding going up in the
centre of town before Christmas, you may
have guessed that work is now underway on
the exciting plans to revamp and reimagine
our historic Market Hall.
The project, a partnership between Market Asset
Management, which manages the market, and
the council, which owns the building, will see
not only improvements to the outside but also
the creation of new indoor spaces, including a
‘temperate garden’ visitor attraction and all the
modern facilities that enable stallholders and small
businesses to flourish.
Our distinctive Victorian Market Hall building was
originally completed in 1864. Its role has evolved
over the years and additions and changes
have been made along the way, many of these
unsympathetic to the original design. The new
exciting improvements will be more in keeping with
the original design and modern business needs
to ensure that the market is a source of renewed
civic pride, business prosperity and a pleasure for
visitors to enjoy.
In addition to repairs and redecoration of the historic
structure, the new ‘temperate garden’ will provide
all-weather dining and entertainment facilities,
opening onto the Market Square. 'Farmgate', an
area inside the market hall, will offer local growers
and artisan producers the chance to sell their
produce – reducing the distance from farm to plate –
while the refurbished market vaults will provide new
restaurant facilities.
There will be improved facilities such as toilets
and cash machines as well as changes to help
stall holders.. These include kitchen facilities in the
market vaults, purpose-designed food production
rooms in the basement and service stairs for easier
access.
Low-cost space for new start-up businesses is also
being created, in the form of the Enterprise Haven,
providing small, high quality office space, facing out
over West Row.
The market will be open during the works so please
come down, support our traders and see what we
are up to. We hope you agree the end result will be
more than worth it!
For more information on Darlington’s market,
visit: www.darlingtonmarket.co.uk
04 www.darlingtonmarket.co.uk