| Summary : The Kirkgate Market was built c.1904 as part of the road -widening scheme for Vicar Lane. There were already various other markets on the site and some of these were retained behind the new building. The building was designed by John and Joseph Leeming, who were responsible for similar buildings, most notably Halifax Market Hall. The market is surrounded by four-storey ranges with attics. The facades are very ornate and constructed from ashlar, whilst the various slated roofs (pitched, domes, cupolas, turrets) provide an interesting skyline. Street-facing shops line the exterior and the shopfronts are modern reproductions of the original design. Internally, the market itself is a vast cast-iron structure, with a central octagonal lantern. The hall is surrounded by a gallery supported on dragon brackets. Some of the free-standing stalls in the centre are original cast-iron structures, with barley-twist columns, foliage capitals and Classical cornices. |