Square v Gaol

Comments left on 2nd and 3rd November ask of the Produce Market organisers, “Why not move the Produce Market to the top of town, not behind 30 ft walls?”

The monthly Produce Market, of course, used to be in both locations: behind the walls of the Old Gaol and on the Square. This has gradually shrunk back to the Old Gaol.

Comments left here in the past suggest that the Produce Market, when held exclusively at the Old Gaol, doesn’t always bring people into town itself, though the commenters making this point have carefully avoided any conflict by stating that they can accept this if it’s for the overall good of Rhuthun.

In favour of the Gaol are:

• It’s size. The area is a ready-made courtyard that can easily accommodate a large number of stalls and people
• Proximity to parking, for traders and the public
• No loss of parking in town required (St Peter’s Square) and there are no inconvenient or expensive road closures, either
• Ease of installing stalls—less labour intensive

In favour of St Peter’s Square are:

• It’s at the very heart of town
• The Square has traditionally been known as the Market Place, a location fitting for the produce market
• It used to hold the monthly Fair (hanging on by a thread) and seasonal weekly Medieval Markets.

I suppose the issues regarding the Square are whether it’s big enough and whether anyone is prepared to go through the process of closing St Peter’s Square once a month during the Produce Market season to welcome activity back in town, and lug the stalls up there. In the past, the views of this blog have been clear: the Square could so easily be brought back into public use as an events venue. But is it proper to do so for the Produce Market?

Perhaps the promised Rhuthun traffic plan (what has happened to that?) will give back some of the Square to pedestrians rather than cars. We shall see.