Corn Exchange, Market Rasen

Corn Exchange, Market Rasen
Corn Exchange, Market Rasen
Location	Queen Street, Market Rasen
Coordinates	53°23′19″N0°20′07″W / 53.3885°N 0.3353°W / 53.3885; -0.3353
Built	1854
Architect	Henry Goddard
Architectural style(s)	Italianate style
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Corn Exchange
Designated	16 May 1984
Reference no.	1309121
Shown in Lincolnshire

The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in Queen Street, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England. The structure, which is used as the offices of a firm of charted surveyors, is a Grade II listed building. ^[1]

History

The rival corn exchange established in the Market Place, which has since been demolished

In the mid-19th century, a group of local businessmen decided to form a company, to be known as the "Market Rasen Corn Exchange and Market Company", ^[2] to finance and commission a corn exchange for the town. After some debate, they selected a site on the north side of Queen Street ^[3]

The building was designed by Henry Goddard in the Italianate style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in July 1854. ^[4] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto Queen Street. The ground floor was rusticated and each of the bays was flanked by pilasters. The central bay featured a round headed doorway with a keystone decorated with a carved wheatsheaf, while the outer bays featured round headed windows with keystones. The first floor was fenestrated with sash windows; the central window was surmounted by a triangular pediment supported by corbels, while the outer windows were surmounted by cornices which were also supported by corbels. At roof level, there was a modillioned cornice. ^[1]

A rival faction, who had dissented over the location chosen, commissioned an alternative hall designed by Bellamy and Hardy on the corner of the Market Place and the High Street. The Market Place building opened in September 1854, but almost immediately got into financial difficulty. After a merger of the two operations in 1856, the Queen Street building became the sole corn exchange in the town. ^{[3] [lower-alpha 1]}

The use of the Queen Street building as a corn exchange declined significantly in the wake of the Great Depression of British Agriculture in the late 19th century. ^[5] Instead, it became a public events venue hosting balls, concerts and public meetings. ^[6] It also became the meeting place of the local masonic lodge, "Bayons Lodge". ^{[7] [8]}

In May 1945, a dance was arranged in the building to celebrate Victory in Europe Day, in the latter stages of the Second World War. ^[9] After the war and, into the 21st century, regular auctions of agricultural goods were held in the corn exchange sale room. ^{[10] [11]} An extensive programme of refurbishment works was completed in 2008, and the building subsequently became the offices of a firm of chartered surveyors, Perkins, George Mawer & Co. ^[3]

See also

• Corn exchanges in England

Notes

1. The rival building in the Market Place featured a corner portico flanked by Doric order columns supporting an entablature, and Venetian windows on two sides of the building. It went on to become a market for the sale of dairy products as well as the local town hall; it was converted for use as a cinema showing silent films in 1914, but after becoming dilapidated, was demolished in 1960. ^[3]

References

1. Historic England. "Corn Exchange (1309121)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 10 June 2023.
2. Return of all companies registered under the Joint Stock Companies Act. House of Commons. 8 June 1858.
3. "The Two Corn Exchanges of Market Rasen". Market Rasen Heritage Tour. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
4. Pevsner, Nikolaus; Harris, John; Antram, Nicholas (1989). Lincolnshire (Buildings of England Series). Yale University Press. p. 556. ISBN   978-0300096200.
5. Fletcher, T. W. (1973). 'The Great Depression of English Agriculture 1873-1896' in British Agriculture 1875-1914. London: Methuen. p. 31. ISBN   978-1136581182.
6. White, William (1856). History, gazetteer, and directory of Lincolnshire, and the city and diocese of Lincoln. p. 482.
7. Lane, John (1895). Masonic records, 1717-1894: being lists of all the lodges at home and abroad warranted by the four grand lodges and the "United Grand Lodge" of England, with their dates of constitution, places of meeting, alterations in numbers. Edward Letchworth. p. 361.
8. The Freemason and Masonic Illustrated. A Weekly Record of Progress in Freemasonry. Vol. 1. George Kenning. 1869.
9. "Looking back: VE Day in Market Rasen coincided with the May Fair - and the celebrations continued for the rest of the year too". Lincolnshire World. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
10. "Market Rasen". Visit Lincoln. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
11. "Local markets and foodshops". Lancashire Telegraph. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2023.