Here's a brief but fascinating timeline of Northampton Market Square's 840-year history

Here’s a brief but fascinating timeline of Northampton’s Market Square’s 840-year history.

The Market Square has been at the heart of our town for nearly 1,000 years - but how much of its history do you know?

Well, discovered in planning papers is a comprehensive history of the square, from when it first opened in 1189 all the way up to the Second World War.

The documents say: “The most notable aspect of the heritage of the square is the significance of trading for more than 700 years. Buildings have come and gone, roads have shifted and ceased but the town has always preserved its market's heritage and its need for a central public open space.”

So let’s take a look at the history of the Market Square…

• The history of Northampton can be traced back to Roman times.

• 1189 – Northampton received its first market charter allowing markets and fairs to be held on the ground east of All Saints Church.

• 1285 – A Royal Charter was granted for a market to be set out in the centre of Northampton. The market moves to its present location in the Market Square after Henry VIII forbade the selling of goods in the Churchyard of All Saints.

• 1516 – The town was destroyed by fire for the first time.

• 1530 – The Market Square was paved.

• 16th Century – With large numbers of visitors using the Great Road from the south to the north, by the 16th century Northampton had become a prosperous market town.

• 1675 – The Great Fire of Northampton devastated the town centre, destroying more than 600 buildings in just six hours. Local people contributed £125,000 (millions in today’s currency) towards rebuilding the town centre based around the Market Square.

• 16th and 17th Centuries – Strict legislation covered all aspects of trading. No foreign traders were allowed on the Square and discord among females appears to have been rife; an order from the time states "No butchers or fishmongers' wives shall fall out with one another nor use or speak any evil or slanderous words or otherwise revile. Anyone who flouted the order was under the threat of the stocks or a three shilling fine.

• 17th Century – Large-scale horse markets in the town were described by author Daniel Defoe as the centre of all home markets and horse fairs in England. They were held four times a year.

• 1828 – A balloon ascent from the Square ended with the balloon failing to take flight and the aeronaut having to escape through an attic window.

• 1845 – Mr. Gyngell, the tightrope walker and fireworks expert, ascended a tightrope while holding two lit fireworks. Halfway up the rope, he threw one of them into the watching crowd, killing Mrs. Smith.

• 1863 – A cast iron fountain was presented to the town by Captain Isaacs to commemorate the marriage of Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) to Princess Alexandra of Denmark. The fountain stood until 1962.

• 1873 – The town's cattle market was built, before which animals were penned and sold on the Market Square and the surrounding streets, hence the names Sheep Street and Marefair.

• 1874 – The square was the scene of the Bradlaugh riots when supporters of radical Charles Bradlaugh believed an election had been rigged. Soldiers fired shots over the heads of the crowd to disperse them.

• 19th Century – Funfairs offering popular amusements of the day such as dancing bears, acrobats, jugglers, and sideshows were regularly held on the Market Square. Carousels and other rides also made appearances.

• 1913 – King George V visited and was received on the Market Square.

• 1930s – The Square was the venue for an open-air cinema with films used to enlist troops for the armed forces.

• Second World War – The square was used for War Weapon Weeks to raise money for Spitfires, warships, and tanks. Until the Second World War, Northampton's medieval streetscape survived in relatively good condition, but following the war, the rate of change was rapid. Between the 1950s and early 1970s, significant works were undertaken to clear the town centre 'slums'. At this time, the story of the Market Square's historic buildings also became one of decline, as handsome buildings were lost to replacements with little visual or architectural merit to them. This dramatic time of change also saw the introduction of the ring road which lost the clear legibility of Northampton's ancient roads which originated from the Market Square.

• 2024 – Currently traders have been moved off the Market Square down to Commercial Street while West Northamptonshire Council completes a £10 million refurbishment of the site.

The Market Cross

Documents say: “The tradition of having an ornament in the Square was a long standing one: the first Market Cross was built in 1285, the second in 1535 and the Market Cross stump which graced the Square from 1675 was replaced in 1780 by an obelisk. In 1863 the Pump and Gas Standard which had stood in the Market Square since 1805 and 1826 respectively were replaced with a grand fountain.”

The Water Fountain

Documents say: “The water fountain was erected in 1863 to commemorate the marriage of Prince Albert to Princess Alexandra of Denmark.

"It was no ordinary cast-iron fountain, 45 feet high and 19 feet wide with many of the enrichments cast in valuable bronze. The structure was seated on an octagonal plinth with four steps leading to the base of the fountain which formed a St. Andrew's cross. Drinking basins were located on the north and south sides.

"After being a much loved focal point of the Market Place for almost a century, the cast iron fountain was removed in 1962 due to repeated vandalism and the opinion that the structure was unsafe. This opinion was proven false when it took several days, six men, a crane and a blowtorch to remove it.

"The stone steps remained and were used by market traders to stack their goods. In due time the steps and the cobbles in the square were also removed leaving no vestige of the fountain ever being there.”