The 'Super Market'

Words: Paul Chapman

Images: Chesterfield Borough Council

It’s almost 12 years since I wrote 'Chesterfield is, for me, first and foremost a market town' and with the recent opening of Phase 1 of the market redevelopment it seemed fitting that I revisit an old article from 2013.

Our council has a role to ensure we have a viable and vibrant town centre, and the market plays a very important role in delivering this. However, it’s not all down to the council, it’s down to us. We need to visit it, to buy from it and to support it.

Chesterfield is proud to have a market that has existed since 1165, created by King John it’s been at the heart of our town ever since.  A cattle market at first, it’s changed massively over time. Today, market days are on Monday, Friday and Saturday with the Flea market on Thursday.  It’s a destination for tourists, but also a real hub for us who live here.

The later phases of the redevelopment work will re-open the bottom half of the market and New Square (the other side of the town hall, opposite the Market pub) and will be redeveloped as an entertainment and social space to be used for events throughout the year. With the market playing such an important role, it’s been worrying that the typical customer is over fifty but the success of Pedlar Market coming to Chesterfield demonstrated last year that if the right events are curated that the average age of ‘the market customer’ will tumble.

The old article from 2013 told of ‘plans to open up the central area of the Market Place so that as you leave the sheltered stalls in the building you are met with a new central aisle through the market to encourage a flow through the centre, opening up the space.’ It’s fabulous to see that this is now part delivered and will be completed later in the year.

I caught up with Ed Fordham, market trader and local councillor to seek his view on the changes. Obviously, he was gushing with pride at his new stall and commented that he’d had new customers to his stall, one was a customer who struggled with confined space and was much more comfortable with the increased space between the stalls and another visited in a wheelchair, something that would not have been possible without assistance on the old uneven cobbles.

This new found love and pride of the market was apparent in every trader standing and the people sitting in the open area around the old pump gave a social feel to the space, I overheard two ladies chatting about the pump, 'I didn't even know this was here', they said with a sense of surprise. I love what's been achieved so far and can’t wait to see the later phases delivered.

Alongside our revisited markets article I have include an article we featured almost 12 months ago which highlights the joys of shopping independently, written by Sophie Derby as she spent some time in the studio of S40 & S41 Local.

And also a huge thanks to Simon Davidson from The Cheese Factor for snapping the cover shot early in the morning as the market awoke from it's slumber.