Cardiff Central Market, Cardiff

Cardiff market, also called Cardiff Central Market or the Market Building, is located on Saint Mary Street in Cardiff. The Market is an imposing Victorian building with a glass roof. There are two entrances, one from Saint Mary Street and the other from Trinity Street.

The original site of the Market was the Cardiff jail and gallows. Richard Lewis, also known as Dic Penderyn, was hanged there in 1831, for allegedly killing a soldier with a bayonet. Dic Penderyn was a Welsh coal miner who lived in Merthyr Tydfil and participated in the Merthyr Rising of 3 June 1831. However, there was insufficient evidence to prove that he committed the killing, and more than 11,000 people signed a petition for his release. After his death he was treated as a martyr in Merthyr and across Wales.

Back in the old days, public execution was gruesome lunchtime entertainment. Happily, the market replaced the jail. The market opened in May, 1891. It was designed by Borough Surveyor Willam Harpur.

Actually, aside from the gallows, a farmers' market had existed on the site since the 1700s. There are two floors for shopping: a ground floor and a balcony floor that wraps around the inside of the building. A large clock replaced the original clock at the High Street entrance in 1963.

It is a very lively market of local small businesses offering everything from Welsh cuisine, street food, clothing, records, fruit and vegetables and even a psychic medium. Ashton's Fishmongers have traded here since 1866. It is a happy place for strolling and snacking.