Market House

In 1122, several hundred years prior to the building of the Market House, Ledbury became a market town and the marketplace was established on the piece of land where the Market House now stands. The market charter was issued by King Stephen in 1138 and markets were held here for hundreds of years. Markets ceased during in the plague years of the 14th and 15th centuries, and the charter lapsed. Queen Elizabeth I issued a new charter in 1585 which is still a legally binding document by which the markets are run in Ledbury. By the late 16th century, the land on which the markets where held had been encroached upon by buildings in the form of two ramshackle rows of houses running up the middle of the High Street. One of the traders in the town proposed a publicly subscribed project to purchase and demolish one of the rows of houses and to construct a Market House in its place. Started in 1617, the Market House stands on 16 oak pillars and took many years to complete, not being finished until 1668. Although its primary purpose was to be a corn warehouse over the centuries it has also been used to store hops, wool and acorns. It underwent major work during the Victorian era, while in 2006 work was carried out to strengthen the supporting stilts. The charter market is held beneath it on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Sorry but there is no disabled access into the building.