Project of the week

The bustling county town of Cardigan opened a new market in 1860, built in Venetian Gothic style with banded arches of Welsh stone. The space offered a ground-floor livestock market, with an upper hall for small traders.

By the early 2000s, though still in use, the market hall needed conservation and improvement to maximise its ongoing potential as a trading hub. Cardigan Building Preservation Trust formed to take on the ambitious project of redeveloping the whole complex for the benefit of Cardigan residents. They conserved and adapted an adjoining Guildhall and corn exchange into multi-purpose community and art spaces in 2009 before turning their attention to the Market Hall. 

In 2025, the Grade II* Market Hall reopened as a vibrant food hub and small traders’ market, providing opportunities for small business owners and craftspeople throughout the region to sell their products. The market provides stalls for 34 regular traders, plus an additional nine pop-up stalls to support local businesses to get started. Energy efficiency has been dramatically improved, and the market is now fully accessible for the first time in its 175 years of use. Through patient work across over two decades, the Trust has ensured Cardigan’s handsome market will support local businesses for many years to come.

“We’ve been enthusiastic supporters of the repair and refurbishment of the Market Hall, providing a number of grants and loans. This iconic building has been an important asset in Cardigan since it was first built and, thanks to the efforts of Cardigan Building Preservation Trust, its long-term future has now been secured, ensuring that it remains at the heart of the town’s community and economy for years to come."

Matthew Mckeague, Chief Executive of the Architectural Heritage Fund