Market House
Alongside the town hall at Garstang is the market house. For a long period in the 1830's Garstang market traders had made numerous representations to the Keppel Estate land agent about the possibility of an indoor market building. A number of neighbouring towns had them and they were of undoubted economic benefit. The estate eventually agreed and began to look across the town for a suitable site. It was thought that the new market house should be within the confines of the market place which at that time, was the area between the town hall and the far end of Stoops Hall. The weekly market has slowly evolved in size over the past one hundred and fifty years, extending itself in both directions, that is in a northerly direction along the High Street and towards The Royal Oak.
In the event, two aged properties alongside the town hall were identified as candidates for demolition. The left hand property had seen recent use as Mayor's veterinary surgeons and before that as a chemist's shop. The other had been living accommodation and had been let separately by the Keppel Estate. After the tenants were informed that the buildings were to be condemned the Mayors moved to a property near the Royal Oak and the other family left Garstang altogether.
The market house was erected in 1843. It was of rather plain construction, presenting a rectangular elevation to the street concealing a normal roof at the back. Set high above a cornice was a stone plaque bearing the words market house. The front door pillars divided the entrance into three sections, each originally having a wooden door. The interior floor was cobbled.
The working arrangements of the market house were just the same as the street traders but the tenants of the market house paid rather more for their comforts. The collection of tolls was made in the same fashion, by a toll collector appointed by the burgesses.
With the sale of the Keppel Estate in 1919, the building was set aside for purchase by the Garstang Parish Council, who paid a sum of £400 for the purpose of altering part of the building to accommodate their fire station and appliances. In fact an ancient 18th Century appliance was stored here. The sale of the market hall was completed on 20th June 1920. On the outside a new pair of doors were installed in the left hand bay for the fire engine to make exit.
The rest of the building continued to be used as previously, in that traders now paid their tolls to the market inspector employed by the Parish Council instead of the town trust. In July 1921 a Saturday market commenced in the market house. However, in 1926, the District Auditor told the Parish Council that they could not continue using the building in this way as it contravened the Royal Charter agreement made in 1680, that is to say, the market charter could not be franchised. The Parish Council then considered disposing of the building and an evaluation was made by Mr Alfred Blackhurst, a Garstang Solicitor, he calculated that the building was probably worth £650 as a result of the repair work undertaken by the Parish Council, namely to the doors, lime washed interior, and removal of the old cobbles which were replaced with tar macadam.
The impending sale led to Garstang Town Trust taking a vested interest, they believed, "that the discontinuing of the use of the market house would be absolutely disastrous to the interests of Garstang and its inhabitants". They then wrote to the charity commissioners asking them for permission to buy the building from the Parish Council. The commissioners eventually concurred, but the trust was unable to meet the costs of the purchase, so had to appeal to its trustees for some temporary loans. The purchase was completed in September 1928 at a cost of £700.
Following these changes of ownership, the Parish Council now paid the town trust a small fee for the use of the partitioned floor space for their fire engine. This arrangement however, was only a temporary one, a new site was found and a new fire station was erected in Back Lane during 1938.
The only visible alteration of note to the market house was the decision to place a Great War memorial plaque high up above the door in January 1925, it remained there until the ending of hostilities in the war that followed. The plaque was then repositioned (in 1956) to the new purpose built War Memorial in Back Lane (now Park Hill Road).
Garstang market house was given a new roof in February 1954 and ten years later it was decided to dispense with the two outer doors at the front of the building. In their place it was decided to install two notice boards and display cases. The work was eventually awarded to Mr T. Horn, on the understanding that the work would be completed by the following Whitsun, in 1965. The cost amounted to £357, they are still in use at the time of writing, and are used for public notices of various kinds, as well as for seasonal displays at Christmas time.