We were commissioned by Preston City Council to revitalise the historic market in the civic heart of the town centre. Working with two existing listed structures, the project was as much about understanding what Preston's market meant to its community as it was about redesigning it.
Preston Market Hall is recognised by Preston City Council as an award-winning intervention within the Grade II listed Victorian canopy – a contemporary glazed structure breathing new life into one of the city’s most historic assets.
A radical refurbishment rooted in heritage
The project involved a radical refurbishment of the historic market sheds alongside the construction of a new mixed-use building. Rather than start from scratch, we worked within the constraints and character of the listed structures, using them as the foundation for something that could serve Preston for the next generation of traders and visitors. Community engagement sessions with the public and traders directly shaped the proposals, ensuring the market offer remained at the centre of every decision.
A project that set a benchmark
Preston Market won a Planning Award, and we believe it serves as an exemplar for what strategic investment in a town centre market can achieve. The right approach, applied to the right building, with the right community behind it, can reinvigorate not just a market but the wider streets and neighbourhoods around it. Preston is proof of that.
Heritage + Restoration
1. Refurbishing the 1875 Canopy
The ambitious design move was to build a new contemporary food and dry goods market beneath the Grade II Listed asset.
The new structure had to be independent of the heritage building as it could enact no loading on the cast iron frame.
The first phase of works saw the refurbishment of the listed structure.
2. Protect building + traders
Following the restoration of the canopy the structure was protected and work begun on the new build elements.
During the works, it was important to keep the traders’ businesses active, signing and advertising the market was still trading.
3. New build
The new building enclosure was conceived as open to the heritage roof above.
Due to the requirement to be structurally independent of the listed building, the columns for the curtain walling work with significant ground cantilevers.
Likewise, the stall structures were cantilevered of a single post to maximise the flexibility of the use beneath.
History in Context
The Market Through The Ages
From the Flag Market’s earliest trading days, possibly before 1680, through the Corn Exchange of 1824, the rebuilt canopies of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, and the covered and indoor halls of the 20th century, to the restored ironwork of 2026, Preston’s market has moved, rebuilt, and reinvented itself many times over the centuries.
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