Swansea Market


Swansea Market situated in the heart of Swansea city centre is the largest indoor market in Wales. The market is covered by a steel arched portal frame roof clad in steel and glass. The current market was built in 1959-1960 by Percy Edwards. Adjoining the market is the Quadrant Shopping Centre.

History

The current market building is the fourth market to be built at the site in 200 years. The site has been used as a market since the Middle Ages. The previous market on this site had existed since 1894 and was destroyed during bombing raids during World War II.
The first dedicated market building on the site was built in 1774 consisting of a roof supported by pillars. It had no external walls. A new market called the New Market was opened in 1830 which was a walled structure with a roof lining the walls. The interior market space was open to the elements. The open walled structure was replaced with a new red brick building which opened on the 22nd June 1897. The new building was entirely roofed and by December 1897, electric lighting had been introduced. This building was hit during the Luftwaffe bombing raids in 1941 destroying the roof and the interior of the building. During the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, the market was held as an outdoor market at site where the market building once stood.
The replacement market opened in 1961, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2011.

Facilities

The market includes fruit and vegetable stalls, butchers, cafes, fast food, fishmongers and clothes stalls. There are also a number of stalls selling local and continental delicacies, such as continental cheeses, Welsh laverbread, Penclawdd cockles, Gower Saltmarsh lamb and Welsh Black beef.
In 2013 the market roof was due for a £1 million modernisation consisting of new roofing sheets and lighting and possibly new solar power generating roofing panels.