The Covered Market is a historic

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

with permanent stalls and shops in a large covered structure in central

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, England. It was designated a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

in 2000.

Location

The market is located to the north of the

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 fo ...

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 zone, pedestrian precinct in Oxford, England that runs north to south between Magdalen Street and Carfax, Oxford, Carfax ...

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 St ...

. 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 Magdalen Bridge spans the divided stream of the River Cherwell just to the east of the City of Oxford, England, and next to Magdalen College, Oxford, Magdalen College, whence it gets its name and pronunciation. It connects the High Street, Oxf ...

, 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 produce, 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 ...

s and

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, 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 ...

s (including some producing the

Oxford sausage Oxford sausages are a distinctive variety of pork and veal sausage commonly associated with, and thought to have been developed in, the English city of Oxford. Traditionally, Oxford sausages are noted for the addition of veal, in contrast to man ...

). 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 collection ...

bakeries A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based baked goods made in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as Coffeehouse, cafés, servi ...

and

sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

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

File:The Covered Market Oxford from the High Street.jpg, The Covered Market from the

looking towards

All Saints Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania * All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Brisbane, Queensland *All ...

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 b ...

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 Grade II listed buildings in Oxford Grade II listed retail buildings