Market houses (sometimes earlier called tholsels) are a notable feature of many Irish towns with varying styles of architecture, size and ornamentation. They are usually located at the centre of the town at which at one stage a market was held. Originally there were one, three, four or even five or more bays on the ground floor which formed a covered arcade to protect traders from the elements and allow access for carts, animals and produce. An upper floor was often used as a court house or ballroom while the cellar or basement was often used as a local gaol. Ornamentation consisted of a cupola, a clock or sometimes a dome or tower. Today most of the market houses in Ireland have been put to use as cultural venues, business premises, town halls or have been left derelict pending development. Many are listed as protected structures while very few have been demolished in recent times due to a newfound architectural, historical and social appreciation.
Table of market house locations
See also
Architecture of Ireland
Irish Architectural Archive
List of towns and villages in Ireland
Market houses in Northern Ireland
Tholsel
Market hall
Weigh house
References
Further reading
McParland, Edward (2001) Public Architecture in Ireland 1680–1760 Yale University Press
External links
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Buildings of Ireland
Irish Antiquities (with many pictures of market houses) Postcards Ireland Dúchas The Historical Picture Archive Patrick Comerford Irish history website Library Ireland - A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1838) by Samuel Lewis