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  • 5 months ago
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00:0060 years young, Shrewsbury Market Hall, says so on the side, must be true.
00:05And who have we got? What's your name, sir?
00:07I am Ian Thorpe.
00:08And what's your role in?
00:09I'm the manager for Thruby Town Council.
00:12Cool. And we've got, from Cornwall's Seafood, what's your name, boss?
00:17Ian Cornwall of Cornwall's Seafood.
00:19So Cornwall's Seafood, it's been called Cornwall's for a couple of years,
00:23but it's a continuation of the business that was?
00:26Barquist Seafoods.
00:27And that's been around trading for how long?
00:30That's been around for over 100 years.
00:32Yeah, looking good, isn't it?
00:34And we've got Steve here from the Butchers. What's the Butchers called, Steve?
00:37John Bliss Butchers.
00:38And how long's the Butchers been here?
00:40Since the day the market opened.
00:4260 long years. Cool.
00:44And guys, there's a bit of a, we'll come to you, sir.
00:47What are these boards about? A bit of a special way of marking the 60th years, I believe.
00:52Yeah, so it's basically to try and commemorate the building itself.
00:54Obviously, 60 years since it was officially opened today, literally the 16th of September.
01:00But also to mark some of the trader stories that we've got.
01:05And like Steve just said, they're going way back to when the building first came.
01:08We've got traders who were in the old building as well previously and working the way across as well.
01:15It's multi-generational and working the way that way.
01:19But also pulling together all the existing traders that we've got now as well.
01:23It makes the sort of marvellous mix that we've actually got.
01:25Yeah, yes, of course.
01:26So there's going to be a fantastic exhibition that you're putting together as we speak.
01:30I've just dragged you from it.
01:31And that's going to include like a bit of a video slideshow, I believe, and images.
01:36Yeah, we've got basically some old footage from the old market being knocked down and it's been meanwhile being built.
01:42And some stories around that.
01:44As well as sort of an up-to-date drone shot like that's at the market itself going up to the tower there.
01:52So hopefully giving people a bit of an unusual vista that they don't get used to, they don't normally get the chance to see.
01:59And I mean we can see so many images of Steve's, that's Steve's, our fishman, Mr. Cornel.
02:06Mr. Cornel's place here, looking grand.
02:09So what is it about Shrewsby Market?
02:10Is it the diverse mix of traders that makes it so special?
02:13I think it definitely is a diverse mix.
02:16And I think one of the main things that we've concentrated on is up in the quality levels.
02:22I think the market used to be known for cheap produce, but it's now known for quality produce.
02:28Yeah, yeah.
02:28Not necessarily the cheapest, but real quality.
02:32And in terms of fashions over the years, from a fish point of view, is there something that's kind of, you know, picked up?
02:40Is there something that's currently on trend?
02:42Well, we always do really well with salmon.
02:44We sell the best pair of island salmon.
02:47And you have to move towards things like people see on cookery programmes, like in the summer you sell Cornish sardines and tuna, rather than herrings, which used to be in the old days.
02:57Yeah, yeah.
02:58Great, so thank you.
02:59And Steve?
03:01So what's, is it the good old leg of lamb, or, you know, what is it that people are coming in for off you?
03:07Actually, lamb isn't the most popular thing in the world.
03:09It's rather expensive.
03:11Okay, yeah.
03:11We buy steak these days.
03:15Yeah.
03:15We never used to sell, even 15 years ago, now we sell loads.
03:19Yeah.
03:20That's interesting, yeah, yeah.
03:22And what is it that you particularly like about the market?
03:25There does seem to be a nice, like, all in it together, a bit of a, dare I say, a family kind of feeling.
03:31Yeah, it's a, it's a great atmosphere, everybody knows everybody.
03:34Yeah.
03:34I think, not just the diverse mix, the fact that a diverse mix of people stay here for a long time.
03:40Yeah.
03:40But when somebody does go, there's somebody new and fresh straight away, and there's a new still open, which is a great way today.
03:45Yeah.
03:46Oh, wow, okay, great stuff.
03:48Well, thank you, gents, and we look forward to seeing that exhibition, which will be unreliably informed on the walls later on today.
03:55Cheers, guys.
03:56Thanks.
03:56So, we've stumbled upon Donald here.
04:00Hello, sir.
04:01Hello.
04:01What's your, what's your full name, Donald?
04:03Donald Isaac.
04:05And Donald, you've got there one of the panels that will be going up on the exhibition there, marking the 60 years of events, good and bad.
04:14This was one, this was a chap you worked with, because you helped build the market hall.
04:19Yes, I was a scaffolder.
04:21Yeah.
04:21But he was on demolition.
04:23Okay, so, what's your memories of that event, first off?
04:27Well, it was, it was just a loud bang, and the next I know, it was sirens, ambulance, and, because we was on the, we was on the other side, we wasn't on the demolition, and we was on, started to build.
04:43Yeah.
04:44Yeah.
04:44Did you, did you know the man, like, did you recognise him from the picture?
04:47No, he came from, I think the three of them come from Stoke-on-Trent.
04:52Yeah.
04:53And nowadays people are always going on, oh, wealth and safety, you can't do anything, but, you know, people from your day, who have been on building sites, and do you kind of, do you think it's, no, we do need the health and safety?
05:08It's, it's happened.
05:09There would have been, there would have been, there would have been a lot of life saved if, if, health and safety had been brought in early years.
05:18Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:18Jobs would never have got done if they, if they didn't.
05:21And so, just going back to you as a, as a grafter then, as a scaffolder, you, you lodged in the town, did you, when you were working?
05:28I did, yeah, yeah.
05:28Yeah?
05:29Yeah.
05:29So where did you stay at?
05:30The Birding and Cotonhill.
05:32Yeah?
05:32And the Proud Slopien.
05:34And was it good pay back then?
05:35Well, it was good pay, the scaffolder, yeah, yeah, I can't, I can't remember, yeah, but, yeah.
05:41And were you out in all weathers, or?
05:43Oh, yeah, yeah, you had to be.
05:45Yeah.
05:45The job had to, you know, you couldn't hold the job up, yeah.
05:49So you had a head for heights then?
05:50Well, I got to have, yeah.
05:51Yeah, yeah.
05:52And what did you, er, what did you think of it when it was all done and built?
05:56Did you, was it nice, you know, do you kind of, when you've been involved in a project like that, do you stand back and think, well, you know, I've played a part in that?
06:02Well, once, er, once our contract had finished, I moved on to the building on, er, Copporn Hospital.
06:11Okay, yeah.
06:12It's happening up there.
06:13Yeah.
06:13No, but I can't remember the year, er, er.
06:15Yeah.
06:15Basically, but, yeah.
06:17So you've got the bus from Browsley today, so when you come and walk into the,
06:21market today and see this building you helped build, how does it make you feel?
06:27Unbelievable.
06:28Yeah?
06:28Yeah, you can't, er, you can't believe how it's, er, all fixed out.
06:34Yeah.
06:34Yeah, yeah.
06:35Because there was none of, none of all this when, er, I remember, yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:41Does it give you a sense of pride that you were involved in it when you, when you walk in, like?
06:46Well, that's the reason I, I've come, really, just to, yeah, it's, erm, it's amazing.
06:51Yeah.
06:52Yeah.
06:52Yeah.
06:53Well, thank you for playing your part in giving us this magnificent market haul, Don.
06:59Yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:00Yeah.
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