St Alban’s market was named the Best Large Outdoor Market in Britain back in January.
I decided to visit this historic market to find out what makes it so special.
The St Albans market has existed for over a thousand years, first started in c 860 by the Abbot Wuslin.
The Abbot founded the market as a way to bring income to the Abbey as well as to create a new town center.
Moving forward to the time of Edward VI, the king granted St Albans market its royal charter, which gave St Alban’s market certain rights and made it an official market in 1553.
Throughout the years the Wednesday market has been closed and reopened because of the costs of not transporting cattle.
This historic market was forced to close during the covid-19 pandemic which caused many people to lose their jobs.
However, the market began to steadily increase as social distancing rules relaxed.
Moving forward to the present day, the market has flourished and the market was awarded the ‘Best Large Outdoor Market In Britain’ back in January by the National Association of British Market Authorities.
To find out more about what St Albans market is like, I talked to Anna who owns Gal and Goose and has a stall on market day.
Anna first came to St Alban’s market on August 11 this year and as a St Albans local, she always loved the market and wanted to connect with other creatives as well as the local people.
She has had a positive experience with the market, sharing her artwork and meeting people (and their dogs).
You can find Anna at St Albans market and at galandgoose.etsy.com or contact her at galandgoose@hotmail.com.
St Albans market has a long history of flourishing culture and has proved its resilience throughout tough times such as the coronavirus pandemic.
You can find St Albans market on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9am-4:30 pm and the second Sunday of each month from 8am-2pm.
