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Hall in 'perilous' state added to endangered list

Caroline GallWest Midlands
News imageVictorian Society The orange and black building stands prominently on a street and a Costa coffee house can be seen inside the building. The upper level is boarded up and a person is walking down the street alongside the building.Victorian Society
Society president, actor Griff Rhys Jones, said the high street building deserved to be used once again

A Victorian market hall "at the heart" of a Shropshire town has been added to an endangered buildings' list due to its poor condition.

Bridgnorth's New Market Hall, built between 1855 and 1859, was in a "perilous condition", the Victorian Society said, as they confirmed it has been added to its top 10 endangered buildings list for 2026.

Originally to be used by traders, it combined offices, public rooms, a town hall and assembly rooms, before being repurposed several times over the years.

In 2024, a petition called for the Grade II-listed landmark to be brought back to life. The society is repeating its plea to owners, or if not, to sell it so "a new custodian can secure its future".

Actor and society president Griff Rhys Jones, said the high street building deserved to be used once again.

"No, no, no. Come on. They are building huge enclosed shopping centres which threaten the high street, and here is a purpose made building on the high street standing by and perfect for small shops, cafes and a new life.

News imageVictorian Society The black and beige building can be seen with scaffolding around the top part. A lower level of black bricks and an arched pattern of beige bricks remains untouched.Victorian Society
The building must not be lost, the society said

"This is the centre of town. This is the centre of urban life. Stand by and make something of it."

The hall was a "striking polychromatic Italianate" [Victorian architectural style] building and a rare survival of a high-status Victorian commercial structure, the society said.

"While comparable market halls in nearby Shrewsbury and Ludlow have been lost, Bridgnorth's example endures, though it does so now in a perilous condition," it said.

After it was built and intended as a civic hub, town traders did not want to move indoors and successfully fought to remain outdoors.

News imageVictorian Society The ornate brown, black and orange brickwork building stands between other newer buildings in the town. Two cream buildings stand either side with pedestrians walking below. The building is a large square shape with a tall tower in the centre.Victorian Society
A scheme approved in 2014 to convert the building into a hotel never happened

That prompted the repurposing of the building which served as offices, stores, workshops, and later retail and community uses and also a Museum of Childhood.

The ground floor is partially occupied today, but upper levels are vacant and deteriorating with the rear wing particularly fragile, the society said, with emergency scaffolding installed in 2022.

A scheme approved in 2014 to convert the building into a hotel never happened "and the absentee owners have taken no meaningful steps to halt its decline".

James Hughes, society director, said: "This is a building that was designed to serve the heart of Bridgnorth, and could do so again.

"With the right vision and commitment, it could once again be a focal point for the town. What is needed now is decisive action to secure its future before further damage is done."