Rother Street Markets
The traditional Charter Market is held in Rother Street every Friday, with upwards of forty traders offering a range of international street food: appetising, comforting and mouth-wateringly tempting! Fresh produce stalls are laden with a healthy mix of local vegetables, fruit, cheese, olives, bread, coffee, cakes and patisseries. All are lovingly presented alongside a selection of clothing, hats and scarves, silver jewellery, leather handbags, accessories, art, beautiful flowers and fabulous gifts. Make Friday shopping a pleasure and kick-start the weekend. These stallholders can be found 52 weeks a year, offering a friendly and personal service.
Every Saturday, the Rother Street Urban Mix Market features a range of stalls that include local makers, street food, cool junk, vintage and rare finds, handcrafted jewellery and design pieces, new stuff, old stuff, standard essentials and great quirky gifts. Local producers add their own healthy twist to the urban mix and the on-trend range of artisan food stalls. Wise buys to suit all tastes and styles every Saturday.
Sunday Upmarket
Held every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from the beginning of March to the end of December, Waterside Upmarket is Stratford-upon-Avon's premier Sunday market, with its navy-and-cream in-vogue colour scheme and a wide range of top quality products, delicious street food and occasional street entertainers and characters to delight the children. Stroll and browse alongside the backdrop of the River Avon, enjoying a treasure trove of expert vendors, local makers, crafters and artists with something for everyone.
Love Your Local Market
Stratford-upon-Avon Charter Market is one of more than 660 markets throughout the UK that participate in the prestigious Love Your Local Market fortnight each May. The campaign is led by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) and is supported by central government, public and private sector market operators and the wider market industry. Following its success in 2012, the campaign is now a permanent feature in the UK market calendar.
National Market Traders Federation
The traders of Stratford-upon-Avon Markets have formed their own branch of the National Market Traders Federation (NMTF). The federation offers protection and support to its members and works closely with NABMA to promote markets on the national stage, providing a wide portfolio of member services and looking after the interests of market operators. For more information, visit the Stratford-upon-Avon Market Traders website.
Market History
Following the suppression of the Guild of the Holy Cross, King Edward VI granted a charter of incorporation to the town of Stratford-upon-Avon on 28 June 1553. The charter conferred on the inhabitants a borough constitution comprising the right to hold, and collect tolls from, a weekly Thursday market and two annual fairs.
At that time, most country dwellers wishing to exchange their farm produce for items they could not make for themselves depended almost entirely on towns within a radius of five miles or so. As a result, places like Stratford-upon-Avon had fairs and a weekly market because it was particularly well-placed to serve as a market centre, due to the important crossing of the River Avon where several routes converged.
In 1819, the Charter Market was changed to a Friday under the authorisation of King George III. The reason for the change was to avoid competition with markets in other nearby towns.
Further Information and Contact
If you are a market trader and would like to enquire about having a stall on any of the Stratford-upon-Avon Markets, please call LSD Promotions (Market Place) Ltd on 01384 877336 or contact its Market Manager on 07736 777244.
If you are a Market Trader looking to trade on one of our markets, please contact LSD Promotions at customerservice@lsdpromotions.com
Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council contract LSD Promotions (Market Place) Ltd to provide the markets held in Stratford-upon-Avon town centre.
The Council welcomes your views and comments concerning the markets; please contact us at info-markets@stratford-dc.gov.uk
