Risk List

Market Hall, Bury

Status: At risk

Fairhurst & Son, 1969-71
Risk: Demolition

The extraordinary ‘gullwing’ roof of Bury Market Hall has drawn comparisons with Eero Saarinen’s airport terminals at JFK and Washington Dulles, and is one of a small number of virtuoso post-war market buildings that combined technical innovation with civic placemaking in new towns, city centres, and urban areas destroyed by the Blitz. Yet while Coventry Market, Queensgate Market in Huddersfield, Smithfield Poultry Market in London, and Pannier Market in Plymouth are all Grade II listed, Bury is facing the wrecking ball.

Built between 1969 and 1971, the new £1.25 million Market Hall accommodated up to 140 traders, it was the centrepiece of the post-war redevelopment of Bury, which sought to establish a new commercial and social centre in the town. The double-cantilevered prestressed concrete roof, enveloped by a curtain wall of glass, provides a completely unobstructed internal area for market stalls, covering an enormous 30,000 sqft
Having traded continuously for more than 50 years, the Market Hall closed in October 2023 following the discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in the external loading bay and market roof – specifically the roof planks that span the in-situ concrete downstand beams. The council is currently considering five options for the market, only one of which proposes refurbishment.

C20’s recent listing application was disappointingly rejected by Historic England, leaving the building extremely vulnerable to demolition, with the council likely to see that as the most expedient and cost-effective option. Yet successful remediation strategies for buildings containing RAAC have already started to appear, and with a repair-minded approach Bury’s Market could serve the residents of the town for another half century.

How to help

Write to the Leader of Bury Council, Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, to voice your support for the building: E.O’Brien@bury.gov.uk

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