Chester Market has played an integral part in city life for centuries.
For years it has been providing the people of Chester with produce ranging from meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, clothing and haberdashery, to books, pictures and general household articles.
It has been a place that enabled people to buy all kinds of different goods as society progressed to become more and more consumer orientated.
The market in Chester used to be situated on Northgate Street next to the Town Hall, where it traded for more than 100 years before moving to the where it is now on Princess Street in 1967, when the whole of the market hall area was redeveloped into the Forum.
This move displeased a great many local people, who did not want the Victorian public architecture to be demolished. But demolished it was, and the old building was replaced by a modern complex of shops and council offices.
The 1960s was a thriving and exciting time to be alive and there will be many Cestrians who can still picture how the Market Hall looked in that decade. These pictures, from Chester’s History & Heritage Centre, depict a simpler time, when large chain supermarkets were still in their infancy and small, local businesses were heavily relied to purchase everyday essentials.
For more pictures of Chester life in years gone by, follow Chester History & Heritage on Facebook, or visit their new website www.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk
