The Beast Market in Wrexham Regis, Wrexham, Denbighshire, existed from the 15th century, and was the site for regular cattle markets and the March Fair. It later became known as St George’s Crescent.
Wrexham’s March Fair at the Beast Market was the climax of the business year. Eventually some traders built their own market halls in the town. Manchester traders sold textiles in Manchester Square and Birmingham traders sold hardware in Birmingham Square, both off Henblas Street, while the Yorkshire dealers operated from a square near Tuttle Street.
The Beast Market had been the venue for the sale of farm animals since medieval times. As part of the Borough Council’s improvements to the town in 1875 they purchased a field to the south-east and in 1877 opened the Smithfield market.
The Market Hall Company initially ran the market. They had leased the market rights from the Yorke family in 1848 for 99 years and in 1886 purchased them outright. In 1898 the Borough Corporation bought out the Market Hall Company.
The cattle market must have attracted large numbers of people from across rural North Wales and surrounds into Wrexham: a weekly reminder of the town’s historic role and origins as a market town. Sadly the market closed in the 1990s, when there was a rationalization of such markets across the UK.
The northern side of Beast Market Street was still farmland when Norden made his survey in 1620. The town developed this way in the 17th and 18th centuries. The thatched building, with the dormer windows, was the Hat Inn, a pub dating back to the early 1600s, which still survives inside the opticians today. The Elephant & Castle, recently reopened as a bar, dates from the 18th century, which is apparent in its architecture.
