Market Tales

Signal Film and Media Presents: MARKET TALES 1864 - 2018 EXPLORING THE HISTORY OF BARROW MARKET 2 Barrow Outdoor Market, Bill Inman, Date Unknown Barrow Market, 1983 Newspaper Clipping, advertisment from the New Market Mustaq Ahmed on his outdoor clothing stall, circa 1995 Photographs kindly supplied by The Mail, Susan Howell, Mushtaq Ahmed and Lynne McKenna Ted’s Outdoor Stall, 1969-70 CONTENTS 6 - 22 Ted Price’s stall in 1990, Barrow Market Barrow Market, 1983 TIMELINE 26 - 37 market tales project 38 - 39 ABOUT THOSE INVOLVED Lynne’s Candy Stall, circa 1980 4 INTRODUCTION MARKET TALES was a 6-month Heritage Lottery-funded project that explored the history of Barrow’s market through creative activities. Beginning in October 2017, the Signal Film and Media team and specialist tutors worked with volunteers, local residents 1 and stall holders to uncover and explore the role of Barrow’s market in the town over the last 150+yrs and to build up an in-depth picture of the market’s little known history. This small publication has been created to showcase some of the findings of the project. 5 2 6 TIMELINE A BRIEF town, the market was as ‘a combination the one part that came in appearance of HISTORY to be fully realised. Birkenhead and a goldfinders city Establishing a market on the edge of one OF of the western had become vital prairies of America.’1 BARROW’S after thousands had flocked to the town MARKET to work in the iron, railway and ship building industries. In the 1850s Barrow and its surrounding Ariel view of Barrow Market The covered market, (date unknown), Barrow hamlets had around Archive & Local Studies built for the Furness 600 inhabitants. Centre Railway Company in By the 1871 census 1864, was bought by the population had Given the town’s Barrow Council in swelled to 18,901. prospects there 1874. The site of the During this time were high hopes indoor and outdoor Barrow experienced for the new market. markets had been Indeed, as the Barrow the quickest and largest 2 the brainchild of internal immigration, Herald reported , ‘with respect to engineer, industrialist, of people from around and civic leader, Sir the UK, of any town accommodation, we James Ramsden, who in Britain. Its rapid do not suppose there had earmarked there growth had gained is a better market location in a master the town something square between plan he drew up in of a reputation, Preston and Carlisle.’ 1856. Of all Ramsden’s seeing it described Imagine the impact civic plans for the of the market on 1 Mannex Directory 1866, quoted in Bryn Trescatheric’s book How Barrow was Built, 1985 2 The Markets in Barrow, Barrow Herald, April 11th 1869 7 TIMELINE local people in 1866. It was the largest indoor space most of them had ever seen, with a wide range of goods all under one roof. From exotic fruits to haberdashery, fresh vegetables to suits, and rolls of fine Barrow Indoor Market, 1969 - 70, courtesy of Susan Howell cloth to a gun range, the market was truly The old market Award (2018) and a new experience for became a vital hub was shortlisted in the people of Furness. in Barrow, playing an one of six finalists important role in the in the NAMBA lives of hundreds of Britain’s Favourite thousands of working Market Awards. people for over a hundred years. Its fortunes were always It would be Flooded Trimmings Stall, 1996, The Mail Archive linked to those of impossible to the town itself, in the record ALL THE That the market interesting buildings contained boom and in the bust years. The new market, stories of the police and the market. magistrates offices still at the heart of the and the municipal town, continues the We offer, offices (on the Lawson tradition of welcoming therefore, the following St side) made it all shoppers from Barrow eclectic mix the more important and beyond. It is fitting it has won this from BARROW’s to townspeople. market year’s The Best Of TIMELINE 1864 appointed the first of the Market, any mayor of Barrow in orange peel, vegetable The Market 1867. substance, or other is built matter whatsoever, to 1869 the danger or damage The original of any person, and Victorian-|style Market any person offending coveredXmarket BYE-LAWS against this bye- building was law shall forfeit and constructed in 1864 Hawking, or crying pay for the first by James Garden for aloud. offence any sum not the Furness Railway. 19. No person shall exceeding the sum of hawk, carry about, five shillings…3 1867 or cry any article whatever for sale in 1899 borough any market; and every status article so hawked, FROM CANDLELIGHT carried about, or TO GAS Barrow was granted cried, may be seized BURNER municipal borough by the Superintendent status in 1867, and of the markets… county borough status Resolved- in 1889. It remained No orange peel to That Mr. Bland be part of the County be thrown in the informed that this of Lancashire until markets. Committee will allow 1974, when it became 26. No person him to substitute eight part of the new shall willfully or Incandescent Lights county of Cumbria. negligently throw or on the Stalls 67 + 68 James Ramsden was drop upon any part in substitution for 3 Byelaws for the regulation of Market and Fairs, Barrow – in Bye-Laws made by The Council of the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the County of Lancaster, 1869. TIMELINE the six Gas Burners at present on the Stalls, at his own cost, on condition that he pays an acknowledgement of 1/-per annum and gives a written undertaking to remove the alterations and restore the Stalls to their former Police outside Barrow Fish Market, circa 1910, condition at any time Barrow Archive and Local Studies Centre on receiving notice from the Corporation 1906 Messrs. Docker Bros. requiring him to do at a rent of 4/- per 5 so, and make good BANANA week” any damage attendant RIPENING thereupon.4 ROOM “Dropping of Banana Skins, &c., 1903 “Read letter from in Markets Messrs. Docker Bros. Resolved - THE FISH applying for a further To recommend that MARKET piece of ground in the the Surveyor be authorised to obtain IS BUILT Butter Market for the purpose of extending and have fixed in the Markets, 12 Wire Barrow Fish Market their Banana Ripening Receptacles in which was built behind the Room. to place Banana Skins, town hall in 1903. Resolved - That an additional piece of Orange Peel, &c. ground be let to And resolved- That a notice be 4 Barrow Council Market’s sub-committee of the council, 16th October 1899 5 Barrow Council Market’s sub-committee of the council, 11 June 1906 TIMELINE printed and posted in And resolved - the Markets calling That the police be WORLD attention to the requested to give WAR I practice of throwing the matter their or dropping Banana attention.”6 The most immediate Skins, Orange Peel impact of WWI and other refuse in the on the market was Markets, and stating THE when the Belfast to that person guilty of BUTTER Barrow steamship the practice are liable MARKET sailings were halted to a penalty of £5 in late 1919; causing under the Bye-laws This not only sold a severe reduction in for the regulation of butter, but also eggs, the supply of fresh the Markets. poultry, shrimps and produce reaching flowers. Most of the Barrow from Ireland. traders came from (9th November 1914, Flookburgh, Baycliff Council minutes). or Bardsea.7 The progression of the war, during ‘First, the butter which foodstuffs and market where farmers’ other goods became wives from all over the scarcer across the district sat with stalls whole country, also piled high with pats saw a reduction in of farm-made butter, the numbers working James Fisher buys a prize cow home produced eggs on the market as at Barrow abattoir around and fowls killed the suppliers, market Christmas in the late 1930s, 8 Courtesy of Douglas Fisher night before’ stall holders and 6 Barrow Council Market’s sub-committee meeting 18 August 1906. The fine of £5 was equivalent to five weeks’ wages for a labourer 7 North West Evening Mail 15 March 1996 8 Market History Memories by Lawrence Mahon, 1974, North West Evening Mail. 7 North West Evening Mail 15 March 1996 8 Market History Memories by Lawrence Mahon, 1974, North West Evening Mail. TIMELINE staff of the market 1941 ‘There were closed department gave up stalls everywhere on their usual jobs for NELLA LAST the market today, munitions production WRITES ABOUT and those big showy or were enlisted in the BARROW ones, with their ton armed forces. Sadly, MARKET of sweet biscuits and there is no formal cheap nasty sweets, record of the names Nella Last was have either gone or of the traders who a Barrow-based else had one tiny enlisted. The minutes housewife and mother space open between of Barrow Council who started writing shutters. No eggs, no record that Market a regular diary in fowl or golden butter was allowed to close September 1939 as on the county women’s for peace celebrations part of the Mass stalls, no little glasses in 1919. (Minutes, Observation project. of ‘rum butter’, or Markets Committee, During the second golden honey or 14th July 1919). world war she wrote glowing, home-made some two million marmalade, no toffee words, an edited or candy made from version of which was fresh farm butter, WORLD published as Nella no glasses of cream WAR II Last’s War in 1981 or tiny luscious pots and was adapted for of cream cheese.

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