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The Covered Market is a historic market with permanent stalls and shops in a large covered structure in central
The Covered Market was officially opened on 1 November 1774 and remains in use. It was established in response to a general wish to clear 'untidy, messy and unsavoury stalls' from the main streets of central Oxford.
John Gwynn, the architect of Magdalen Bridge, drew up the plans and designed the High Street front with its four entrances. In 1772, the newly formed Market committee, half of whose members came from the town and half from the university, accepted an estimate of nine hundred and sixteen pounds ten shillings, for the building of twenty butchers' shops.
Twenty more soon followed, and after 1773 meat was allowed to be sold only inside the market. From this nucleus, the market grew, with stalls for garden produce, pig meat, dairy products and fish.
Today the covered market is still home to numerous traders, around half being food retailers, including market shops selling fresh food such as
File:The Covered Market Oxford from the High Street.jpg, The Covered Market from the
The Oxford Covered Market
Bonner's Oxford, Greengrocer in The Covered Market since 1952
Virtual Tour of the Oxford City Covered Market
Covered Market Video Tour
Walk the avenues of The Oxford Covered Market on Google Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:Covered Market, Oxford 1774 establishments in England Shopping malls established in 1774 Retail markets in England Shopping centres in Oxford Tourist attractions in Oxford History of Oxford Market halls
The Covered Market is a historic market with permanent stalls and shops in a large covered structure in central Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...
, England.
Location
The market is located to the north of theHigh Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym ...
towards the western end between Cornmarket Street
Cornmarket Street (colloquially referred to as Cornmarket or historically The Corn) is a major shopping street and pedestrian precinct in Oxford, England that runs north to south between Magdalen Street and Carfax Tower.
To the east is the G ...
and Turl Street
Turl Street is a historic street in central Oxford, England.
Location
The street is located in the city centre, linking Broad Street at the north and High Street at the south. It intersects with Brasenose Lane to the east, and Market Stree ...
. To the north is Market Street. Most of the entrances are from the High Street and Market Street (with four entrances from each street). It is also possible to gain access from Cornmarket via the Golden Cross alley, with its small up-market shops.
History
The Covered Market was officially opened on 1 November 1774 and remains in use. It was established in response to a general wish to clear 'untidy, messy and unsavoury stalls' from the main streets of central Oxford.
John Gwynn, the architect of Magdalen Bridge, drew up the plans and designed the High Street front with its four entrances. In 1772, the newly formed Market committee, half of whose members came from the town and half from the university, accepted an estimate of nine hundred and sixteen pounds ten shillings, for the building of twenty butchers' shops.
Twenty more soon followed, and after 1773 meat was allowed to be sold only inside the market. From this nucleus, the market grew, with stalls for garden produce, pig meat, dairy products and fish.
Today
Today the covered market is still home to numerous traders, around half being food retailers, including market shops selling fresh food such as greengrocer
A greengrocer is a person who owns or operates a shop selling primarily fruit and vegetables. The term may also be used to refer to a shop selling primarily produce. It is used predominantly in the United Kingdom and Australia.
In the Unite ...
s and butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...
s (including some producing the Oxford sausage). There are also newer gift shop
A gift shop or souvenir shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs, memorabilia, and other items relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, toys, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collec ...
s, bakeries and sandwich
A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...
shops. Most of the shops are larger than the original stall sizes, with the result there are fewer businesses in the covered market than in the past.
The Covered Market may be accessed via the four entrances on the High Street, via Golden Cross (from Cornmarket), and from three entrances on Market Street.
In 2017, Oxford City Council, which owns the Covered Market, announced a £1.6m investment in the fabric of the building, including roof repairs, improved public conveniences, external paving and new signage.
In May 2017, the Covered Market received 'the Royal seal of approval' when it was visited by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Gallery
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym ...
looking towards All Saints Church
File:Covered Market Fish.JPG, A fish store in the market
File:Covered Market Fruit.JPG, A fruit stand in the market
File:Covered Market Butcher.JPG, A butcher in the market
File:Ben's Cookies in Oxford Covered Market.JPG, Ben's Cookies
Ben's Cookies is an international chain of shops that bake and sell cookies. After making cookies at home, Helge Rubinstein opened a stall to sell them in Oxford's Covered Market in 1984. The cookies can usually be purchased warm as they are ba ...
in the market
References
External links
The Oxford Covered Market
Bonner's Oxford, Greengrocer in The Covered Market since 1952
Virtual Tour of the Oxford City Covered Market
Covered Market Video Tour
Walk the avenues of The Oxford Covered Market on Google Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:Covered Market, Oxford 1774 establishments in England Shopping malls established in 1774 Retail markets in England Shopping centres in Oxford Tourist attractions in Oxford History of Oxford Market halls