Page 31 - Market Times October 2024

FEATURE • SHERINGHAM 31
Once a phenomenal success, Sheringham Market in North Norfolk is fighting back following a period of decline. Nicola Gould reports on a market on the mend
That trusted mantra “location, loca- tion, location” is probably true for Sheringham Market, which sets up stall in the large car park by the heritage steam railway, one of many tourist attrac- tions in this picturesque seaside town in North Norfolk.
The council has looked into the possibil- ity of moving it. Car parks are not usually the best location for markets. It’s a scenic coastal town and the small town centre the car park serves is thronged in the summer.
But there were no real alternatives to its traditional location, and the traders say it’s a prominent spot which is convenient and close to the hub of things.
Footfall is generally not a problem for this market in the summer when countless tourists flock to Sheringham to enjoy an old-fashioned British seaside day out. Winter is a different story and the Wednes- day market shuts up shop from November to March.
Sheringham is above all a traditional market for locals, particularly on Saturday when there is more fresh produce.
The market is hard to miss. Stalls line the top end of the main car park. Visitors who park there tend to browse the stalls before heading for the town centre or the beach, and steam buffs taking a nostalgic trip on
the heritage steam railway also visit the market.
Yet talk to anyone who knows Shering- ham well and they will tell you that the market is not what it once was.
Traders recall the days when it was double the size. Mark Wye-Harris, who sells books and has been trading on the market for 32 years, remembers when stalls stretched across the entire length of the car park.
His parents began selling bric-a-brac and books here in 1982. He joined them in 1992 and hasn’t looked back. “We started on the Wednesday market and it was so busy in those days it took us until the year
The heritage North Norfolk Railway steams past the market
2000 to get on to the Saturday market as well,” he said.
Mark is a huge supporter of the market which he says is still very good. He believes it is in the right location and he is more positive about the future since a new team from North Norfolk District Council took over the running of the market two years ago.
“They are listening and things are starting to happen to support the market,” he said.
Colin Brown, the council’s leisure and locality service manager who is part of that team, acknowledged that some traders felt the market had been a little neglected in recent years when it was in decline.