Ripon and Knaresborough have two of the oldest weekly markets in Britain.

Ripon’s market, which dates back 1,100 years, is held in the market square every Thursday; a Wednesday market has taken place in Knaresborough since 1310, but its origins date back further.

Both, however, face tough times — and have adopted different approaches to survive.

A government inquiry as far back as 2009 questioned whether traditional markets could survive in the face of cheap competition, changing consumer habits and online shopping. 

It urged local authorities to do more to support markets “because of the multi-faceted nature of the benefits that successful markets can bring to local towns and communities”.

But North Yorkshire Council dealt Ripon and Knaresborough a blow in 2024 when it announced it would no longer provide a set-up service for stallholders, forcing traders to erect their own stalls.

The council, which charged £5.30 per set-up, said it subsidised the service at an annual loss of £25,000 to £30,000, and ended it in September last year despite protests. 

In response to the move, Knaresborough Town Council applied to take control of its market as part of a double devolution deal with North Yorkshire Council.

Some councillors on Ripon City Council wanted to do the same but the controlling Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group decided against it.

Terminal decline?

So how have the two markets fared?

The Stray Ferret submitted a freedom of information request to North Yorkshire Council asking for the average number of weekly stallholders at each market in each of the last five years.

The response was perhaps less predictable than expected.

The average number of weekly stallholders in Knaresborough has fallen from 43 to 31 since 2021/22 — a decline of 28%.

Ripon’s smaller market has suffered a slightly gentler decline of 19% over the same period, in which the average number of weekly stallholders has gone down from 31 to 25.

Curiously, however, both markets appear to be enjoying a slight resurgence: both have experienced growth for the first time so far in 2026/27, albeit marginally, with the average number of stallholders up three in Knaresborough and one in Ripon.

There have been frequent mutterings in both places that their traditional markets are dying, or being replaced by ‘experience’ markets, such as farmer’s markets and artisan markets.

Ripon City Council has been criticised for not following Knaresborough’s lead and bidding to take control of its market.

However, the figures appear to support the view of Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of the Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group, who has claimed the end of the set-up service has not affected stallholder numbers.

Live music

The city council introduced a Market Day Melodies initiative this summer to boost shopping. It pays live musicians to roam the city and gives free facepainting for children on Thursday market days. You can see a live video of this week's jazz band on our Facebook page.

Knaresborough remains in advanced talks with North Yorkshire Council about taking over its market. 

Our freedom of information request also asked how much the council now estimates to save by ending the set-up service.

The council said the figure was £12,500 — considerably less than previous estimate. But it added: “Implementation at Knaresborough market has been deferred due to ongoing discussions with Knaresborough Town Council.”

We will continue to monitor developments at local markets.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.