Manchester City Council

Markets' historical links with Manchester go back to 1066 when William the Conqueror conferred the Manor of Manchester (and with it the privilege of holding markets and fairs in the manor) upon one of his knights as a congratulatory gesture in the wake of his victory at Hastings.

It wasn't until 1845 that the Market Rights were bought by the City Council from Sir Oswald Moseley, and a year later the Corporation of Manchester was given the authority to provide and regulate markets in the city under the 1846 Manchester Markets Act.

Much of the city's market undertakings in the late 1800s centred around wholesale market facilities, public cold stores, cattle and meat markets and the abattoir.

The Smithfield area was transformed into the main Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market, and in 1872 the Wholesale Fish Market was added.

The fringe of this area became a common area for retail traders and barrow traders, adding to the vibrancy and chaos in the Smithfield area.

Some of the stalls situated around there were still operating up until 1972, when the Wholesale Market was re-located.

Descendants of these early traders are still evident now in and around the city centre street trading such as the fruit and vegetable stalls situated along Church Street.

In 1973, Smithfield Wholesale Market was re-located to a purpose built complex in Openshaw. It caters for fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, game and poultry, making this one of the largest of its kind in the country.

The 1970s saw the rapid development of the City Council's retail markets. The Arndale, Gorton, Harpurhey and Longsight Markets have now been redeveloped, with the new Gorton Market opening in June 2008.