Page 13 - The Tale of Two Fountains

THE TALE OF TWO FOUNTAINS
The character of the Market Square in part, stems from the informal scale, variety of fa- cades and its gentle slope from north to south. Narrow lanes leading out from the south west corner provide an interesting contrast to the large open space in the centre.
The predominant style of the surrounding his- toric buildings is Georgian and a number of these buildings still remain largely unspoilt. New development has tended to alter the small scale character of the facades and the major part of the northern side has been redeveloped as part of the Grosvenor Centre.
In the 20th century, the Market Square saw a lot of changes, mainly on the northern and eastern sides. The once loved and thriving shopping arcade known as the Emporium Arcade, built in 1901 and designed by Mosely and Scrivener, was demolished in 1972 to make way for the Grosvenor Centre. On the east side, where a well-known Inn, the Peacock Hotel once stood, this has been replaced with a shopping centre, previously known as Peacock Place and is now Market Walk.
Historically, much of the wealth in the early days was created by thriving markets which were held in Northampton’s Market Square, which was the town’s main trading point. In 1189, Northamp- ton received its first Market Charter, allowing markets and fairs to be held on the ground east of All Saints Church. The Charter allowed tolls to be charged and prohibited the operation of rival local markets.
The generous size of the Market Square made it ideal for large-scale horse markets. Daniel De- foe, in the 17th century, described them as “The centre of all horse markets and horse fairs in En- gland”. In Northampton, horse fairs were held four times a year as compared to most other towns where only annual fairs were held.
The Market Cross, 1535
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Obelisk, 1780