Corn Exchange, Stamford

About

The Corn Exchange is a commercial building in Broad Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. The structure was refurbished between 2001 and 2008 and is now used as a theatre.

History: After King Edgar awarded the right to hold markets to the town in the year 972, trading in corn, cattle and vegetables centred on Broad Street. The market benefited from a modest stone covering, designed by the Rev. Henry de Foe Baker, which was erected on the north side of the street, adjacent to Browne's Hospital, in 1839. In the mid-19th century, a group of local businessmen decided to form a private company, known as the "Stamford Corn Market Company", to finance and commission a purpose-built corn exchange for the town. The site they selected, on the opposite side of the street, had been occupied by the Black Swan Inn. The new building was designed by Edward Browning in the Tudor Gothic style, built by Henry Bradshaw in ashlar stone and was officially opened on 28 January 1859. The original design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto Broad Street. The central bay, which was slightly projected forward, featured three small arched windows with voussoirs on the ground floor...