Hallack's New Market

Hallack's New Market is one of the four main market places of Morton (along with The Strand, Duke's Square, and Stockyard). It is the most recent of the four markets, the market place only having been established in the mid ninth century and it deals entirely in food stuffs: eggs, cheese, vegetables and such like as well as hay, straw and other animal fodder). The market is dominated by a statue of Duke Hallack, the third of his name, in who's reign the market place was created following a major fire that destroyed the area it now occupies.
The buildings lining the square have their ground floors given over to retail (mostly food based but also some manufactured goods relating to food: cutlery, crockery, pans and such like) and storage for the stalls that are set up daily (with the exception of Dundy and Lowdy - see The Marivian Calendar). These stalls are used by a range of small producers from Morton itself and the surrounding areas as well as larger traders who may buy from the local farms or on the wholesale markets of the Strand.

Architecture

The market square is primarily just that - a broad square surfaced with stone blocks and lines with buildings in the mid ninth century style: brick built and with some geometric patterning in the brickwork but little ostentation or ornament. The ground floors of these buildings are an arched arcade with individual bays some three strides across: some of these are enclosed as shops; others as storage areas where the market stalls are stowed when not set up for trading. The upper floors are accessed by stairways every few arches which lead up to a walkway which surrounds the square (though interrupted where the roads enter and leave it.
Regardless of the use of the ground floors, each bay is separated from its neighbours by a brick wall (though in the case of some of the larger retail establishments, doors may have been inserted to joint two of the vaults. The fronts of the vaults used for storage of stall sections may be fronted by iron bars but most are fronted with wooden shutters brightly painted and, in the case of many of the shops, announcing their owners and wares.
Within the square itself there are no structures other than the statue of Duke Hallack, towards the southern end of the square which also serves as a memorial to those who died in the fire that cleared the space and a place for posting of notices both official and unofficial. The majority of the square's surface is paved with the local pale sandstone, but the blocks marking the corners of the stalls are in black granite.

History

In the early ninth century, following the expansion of the town with the erection of the fourth set of walls the existing market arrangements were found to be inadequate owing to the increased population and volume trade. This resulted in markets being held on all six days of the week, which was seem as something of an affront to propriety and lead to the establishment of a "Keep Dundy Special campaign". In 836 MD a fire caused major damage to thewards of Corfield and Martsward and Duke Hallack, the third of his name determined to use much of the cleared space for a new market area. In this he was aided by the fact that not all of the space withing the new walls had yet been developed and as he was the direct owner of both wards there was little cause for objection.
Initially Hallack's New Market served as a general market space dealing in all goods (other than livestock) but later in the century the markets began to specialise, and Hallack's New Market became the centre for the food trade, but dealing primarily with retail rather than wholesale, noting that some of the larger traders who ship food products along the river will use Hallack's to buy their stock rather than sending a cart round the farms.
The current pattern that the market has settled into is that Secondy and Middy's markets are predominantly supplied by the farmers and market gardeners of the area surrounding Morton; Fordy's market is heavily biased to animal fodder and Hidy's to food products made in the town. Many of those running stalls on Hidy's market also have their own shops around town, but the market gives a chance to sell your wares to a wider base of customers (an also to keep an eye on what the competition are up to).

Parent Location

Morton

Stall Allocation

Who sets up stall where is, needless to say, a somewhat complicated matter. This is administered by the "Warden of the Market" who is based in a vault in the north west corner. Stall spaces can be rented by the month, the year or just on the day with each stall allocated a space 4 stride square (generous but this needs to accommodate any cart and draft or pack animals used). For the fodder market stall spaces are hired in groups of four owing to the bulk of the goods. The rental does not include hire of the stall itself - some will bring their own, or trade direct from their cart or wagon; the hire of the stalls stored in the vaults is a separate business.

A Day at the Market

A Day at Hallack's follows much the same routine as at the Strand or Dukes Square, with most of the traders arriving before the townsfolk are awake (though the townsfolk living around the square usually wake up shortly after the traders begin to set up stall). If you are just here for the day you will need to start in the queue for the Market Warden to hire your stall. There you will be told which pitch you have been allocated and then it's off to one of the stall letters - from whom you can hire a stall - the table to run across the front of your pitch and the awning to protect it from the rain.
They will set the stall up for you and strike it in the evening. There is no set start to trading, but customers will generally expect set up to be complete by mid morning and it continues until late afternoon, being brought to an end by the tolling of a bell above the Warden's vault. Pack your goods and wait for the stallmen to come to strike the stall - this is not necessary but avoids any dispute over any sections that another trader may "borrow".