Ledbury Market House

17th-century timber-framed market hall in the middle of the high street

The Market House sits squarely in the middle of Ledbury High Street, a black-and-white timber-framed hall propped above the cobbles on sixteen chestnut posts. It is the town's emblem and the most photographed building in Herefordshire. The ground floor remains open: a Saturday morning produce market still runs underneath, with locals chatting between the cars that have to slow to a crawl around the pillars.

The upper hall is occasionally open for community events and craft fairs; entry is free when it is. Otherwise the building is best appreciated from outside, ideally from the bottom of the High Street looking up. Pair the visit with the climb up Church Lane immediately behind.

things to do sight architecture
A story
The Market House was built around 1617 on sixteen oak pillars, with the open ground floor used for produce markets and the closed first floor as a town hall. It has stood unaltered through every cycle of demolition and modernisation since — the road simply parts around it. The hooks under the upper-floor windows once held the bell, which was rung when stallholders arrived to set out.

Other places in Things to Do