A NEW street market is coming to Warrington town centre combining artisan produce from the north west with quirky collectibles.

The Wire Market will launch on April 27 and take place on the last Saturday of each month as part of an initiative by Warrington Market.

Around 50 stalls will be dotted around the market forecourt, Buttermarket Street, Market Gate and Bridge Street between 9am and 4pm.

The Warrington Market team got the idea after launching an artisan market at Walton Hall and Gardens and seeing the success of the likes of the pop-up Makers’ Market which takes place in Palmyra Square.

PUTTING WARRINGTON BACK ON THE MAP

Paul Blaney, market operations manager, said: “It’s part of our plans and ambitions to put Warrington back on the map as a market town.

“Markets have become increasingly popular over the past few years. We’ve seen that with lots of street markets around the north west.

“We dipped our toe back in the water with our artisan market in partnership with Walton Hall and Gardens.

“That’s been hugely successful. Around 2,000 people a month turn up for that. We’ve took that idea and we’re bringing it to the town centre.”

NOD TO THE PAST

Like Macclesfield’s Treacle Market – which refers to the centuries old accident when a horse drawn wagon overturned, spilling its cargo of treacle onto the cobbles – Warrington’s Wire Market is also a nod to the past.

Warrington became a manufacturing town during the Industrial Revolution and was a centre for wire making for two centuries.

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Paul, a former Padgate High student, added: “It’s a nod to our history and industrial past. It made a lot of sense to me especially as I see markets being about makers, creators and producers. We’ve had markets in Warrington since 1255 so it’s just a bit of a natural progression from that.”

'BRIDGE STREET BAZAAR'

The pop-up market will also be keeping up with modern tastes and trends though. As well as things like street food and live music, one of the key features will be ‘Bridge Street bazaar’.

Paul, 44, said: “The idea is astreet market with a bit of a twist. So it’ll be very much an artisan market made up of creatives from the area. But we’re also looking at doing something a little bit different which is an area in Bridge Street focusing on vintage goods, collectibles and curiosities.”

There will be around 50 stalls for the first event on Saturday, April 27, with the hope of building it to around double that if it is successful.

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VIBRANCY

Paul added: “We’re trying to curate it so we get a good quality mix. We want to complement what’s already happening in the town. It’s really to just bring some vibrancy to the whole town centre and regenerate some streets that are having a difficult time.”

Paul is also building on Warrington Market’s recent accolade as best small indoor market at the Great British Market Awards.

The dad-of-two said: “We’ve demonstrated that people still want markets, support independent traders and like that experience.

“So we’re looking now for new opportunities to continue to give the people of Warrington reason to utilise their town.

“You go to a supermarket now and it’s a bit impersonal with a robot scanning machine at the checkout. It’s great for convenience but it takes a huge part of that experience away.

“There’s nothing better than going to speak to an individual who knows that business or that product or that service inside out. In this digital world we’re all tied to our phones and the computer and it’s quite nice to break away from that sometimes.”

If you are a trader and would like to get involved call the market on 632571 or send the team a message on their Facebook page