Cardigan Guildhall Market will be Officially Opened by Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary, Jayne Bryant on Thursday 30th January after being closed for refurbishment for two and a half years and having had a soft opening in July of last year.
The historic market town of Cardigan has had an outdoor market, at least, since its royal charter in the 12th Century but in the 1850’s the council decided that the booming seaport of Cardigan needed an indoor market and hall in keeping with the growing wealth and prosperity of the town. In 1860 they opened the newly built Cardigan Guildhall, which incorporated the council chambers, a public hall for events, a grammar school, and a corn exchange, together with a brand new indoor market over two floors. It was one of the first municipal buildings to be built in the modern “Gothic” style, as promoted by Ruskin, and would have been considered ultra modern at the time. As part of the same scheme, they built a new slaughter house, a short distance away, next to the Mwldan brook – now the Theatr Mwldan arts complex.
Since 1860 the Council operated the market continuously until 2014, when due to rising costs, they handed over the management to Menter Aberteifi Cyf., a not for profit community business and regeneration organisation, founded in 1996, which had already been operating the adjacent Guildhall since 2008.
However, the market was starting to show its age and there were serious problems with the building. So Menter Aberteifi invited their sister organisation, The Cardigan Building Preservation Trust, who had already done a similar project with The Guildhall, to work up a plan to lease the Market from the Council and raise the funds needed to fully refurbish this important Grade 2* listed building.
After a couple of false starts, due to Covid restrictions and rising prices, the work finally started in March 2022. The Trust raised well over three million pounds from a wide range of funders and managed the restoration of the building with Menter Aberteifi acting as consultants on operational issues. Existing traders were re-located to various town centre locations whilst the extensive renovations were taking place, and although it doesn’t look very different at first glance, practically everything has been restored or replaced except for the main stone walls.
“It’s been a mammoth undertaking… said Howard Williams, Chair of the Cardigan Building Preservation Trust, and we are extremely grateful for the assistance of the County Council and our many funders in helping us to get this over the line”.
Also part of the project was the addition of a new “access block” extension to the building providing an entrance from the car park at the rear with stairs and lift access to both floors and the high street, together with public toilets on each floor. Other new features include under-floor heating, Solar Panels, insulation, individual lockable stalls, internet points throughout the building, public Wi-Fi, audio system, CCTV, fire and security alarms and pop-up stalls that can be rented by the day.
“The idea behind this is to provide a starting point for new businesses to try out their idea or product and then progress to permanent stalls or even a high street shop. Many shops in Cardigan started out in this market including some very well known names and we are proud of the part that we have played in the development of independent businesses in the town” said Menter Aberteifi Chief Executive, Julian Beynon-Lewis.
Menter Aberteifi has been appointed to manage the market once again, this time on behalf of the Trust. As well as managing the Market, Menter Aberteifi also manage the Guildhall, a multi-purpose venue, which has over 80 events and classes per month in its various rooms and also the Corn Exchange Gallery, the Visit Cardigan website and the annual Cardigan River and Food Festival, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in August 2025.
“I think that supporting and encouraging independent businesses is the way back for Britain’s high streets and Cardigan is proving that” said Julian, who has worked in retail management for over 40 years and also sits on the county’s economic partnership. “We are bucking the national trend and others can learn from what is happening here. When we re-opened the Market, we thought it might take a year or two to fill all the stalls but in fact they were all taken within a month and we now have a healthy waiting list. “
The market has the potential for over 50 stalls, but was designed so that partition walls can be removed and larger units created so the reality is that there are about 30 businesses operating from within the building, including pop up stalls and fast food outlets, outside in the courtyard.
Many of the old stalls have returned including Consol Crazy – phones, games and repairs; Toby Stitches; Wool and haberdashery; The Spinning Wheel – Welsh goods and tourist items; Totem – crystals, incense, silver jewellery and clothes; Home Appliances – spares and repairs; Teifi Traction – Welsh bus memorabilia; DJK Collectables – antiques and collectables; Batak – Traditional Syrian foods.
This has allowed a raft of new businesses to open in the market including: Wnco Mwnco – The town’s first independent wine merchant in decades; Leafy Lion Creative and Bookshop – Books and Crafts; Cardigan Bay Quilts – Blankets, quilts and home decor; Jewellery Smith – who design, make, alter and repair jewellery on site; Cindy’s Hair Studio – unisex hair salon; Amaze me 3D – incredible 3D printed items; Mister Meze – Vegetarian meze and mocktails; Te Orinda – Traditional Welsh tea, coffee, cakes and ice cream; Dahlia Dwt – Florist and accessories; Mynydd Bach Creations – Handmade stained glass creations and bees wax candles; Preseli Woodcraft – handmade wooden toys and educational items; Under the Laurel – handmade resin jewellery, cards, candles and home items; The Craft Wife of Teifi – Felt creations, jewellery, scented candles, clothing and more; Hashtag Fragrances – perfume, scents, shaving accessories etc; and many more great temporary pop-up stalls, some of which are regulars, offering ground coffee, handmade blankets, jams and preserves, Italian jewellery and scarves, children’s clothes, handmade custom leather belts and bags, vinyl records, glass jewellery creations, local cheese, and even craft beers.
“We are really pleased with the variety and mix that we have achieved at the Market and there is more to come with the development of a new Cafe Kitchen on the cards later this year. We will also be engaging more with the local community and schools emphasising the heritage importance of the building and installing various forms of interpretation to explain the history to visitors and locals alike” confirmed Julian.
Mervyn Pearce, who has been a stall holder in the Market for nearly 50 years said,
“We are delighted with the work that has been done that will ensure that the market building will hopefully survive another 164 years. It is much warmer and the water doesn’t come through the walls and floors anymore. The whole place has a brighter more spacious feel to it”.
There are just so many reasons to visit Cardigan Guildhall Market which is open Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm. You can find them on Facebook and other social media for the latest up to date information. All enquiries by email to: jbl@menter-aberteifi.com or telephone: 01239 615554
