FOR A TOWN so small, Castle Cary has so much to see, whether your interest lies in the countless old buildings that reveal a lot about how people lived in bygone days, or in the many high-quality shops that cater for how we live today. A glance at archive photos of Fore Street, Market Place and High Street reveals that their overall appearance has changed but little in the last hundred years or more. All are instantly recognisable, the only striking differences being the open stream running alongside the pavement on the eastern side of Fore Street – and the absence of motor vehicles! The streets still retain the charm of the traditional small-town shopping centre, and
some of the businesses have been trading here for a good many years. Over the last 50 years Castle Cary has acquired a high reputation as a shopping centre. When I visited on a mild morning in mid-May the shops were certainly bustling. Traditional trades still thrive in the busy shopping streets – butcher, baker, greengrocer, ironmonger, bookseller, grocer, delicatessen and more – and the multiplicity of independent retailers selling high-quality goods and offering friendly personal service appeared to be attracting visitors from far and wide as well as
catering for local needs. My visit coincided with Market Day. Although traditional markets ceased many years ago and the Market House has long outlived its original purpose, every Tuesday until 2.00pm its cobbled forecourt and undercroft revert to their original role – and attract a goodly number of stallholders and customers. So much so that the market now extends up Bailey Hill alongside the Market House. Usually the stalls include a
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fishmonger, a traditional baker, a greengrocer and others selling local meat, cheeses and chutneys, wool and haberdashery, soaps and smellies, clothing and more. Nowadays the ground floor of the building is home to the town
To accommodate the growing number of stallholders the Tuesday Market also occupies part of Bailey Hill. Sewing Machine Services 5x2.qxp_Ad-style 27/03/2017 14:30 Page 1
Tuesday Market at Market Place, every Tuesday until 2.00pm.
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