Editing Bull Ring, Birmingham (section)

=== Markets in the Bull Ring ===
[[Image:Bull Ring Birmingham 1880's.jpg|thumb|right|The Bull Ring viewed from the High Street in the 1880s.]]
[[File:Birmingham Market Hall.PNG|thumb|right|A drawing of the entrance to [[Birmingham Market Hall|the Market Hall]] from William Hutton's ''The History of Birmingham'', published in 1836.]]

In the late 18th century, [[Birmingham Street Commissioners|street commissioners]] were authorised to buy and demolish houses in the town centre, including houses surrounding the Bull Ring, and to centre all market activity in the area. This was a result of new markets being established across the city in scattered locations creating severe congestion. Demolition of these properties began slowly; however, after the [[Birmingham Improvement Act 1801]], the speed of demolition increased and by 1810 all properties in the area had been cleared as according to the 1810 Map of Birmingham by Kempson. During the clearance, small streets such as The Shambles, Cock (or Well) Street and Corn Cheaping, which had existed before the Bull Ring, were removed. The Shambles was originally a row of butchers' stores, situated close to the road leading from the location where bulls were slaughtered.<ref name="bgfl" />

A wide area fronting [[St Martin in the Bull Ring|St Martin's Church]] formed the marketplace. The Street Commissioners decided that a sheltered market hall was needed. They bought the market rights from the lord of the manor and, by 1832, all properties on site had been purchased, with exception of two, whose owners demanded a higher price. To fund the purchase of these properties, two buildings were constructed either side of the market hall and the leases sold at auction. Construction of [[Birmingham Market Hall|the Market Hall]], designed by [[Charles Edge (architect)|Charles Edge]] (an architect of [[Birmingham Town Hall]]), began in February 1833. It was completed by Dewsbury and Walthews at a cost of £20,000 (£44,800 if the price of acquiring the land is included) and opened on 12 February 1835 and contained 600 market stalls.

In 1869, the [[fish market]] was completed on the site of the Nelson Hotel (formerly the Dog Inn). The Dog Inn was located at the top end of Spiceal Street and the land above was owned by the Cowper family. The fish market was built upon Cowper Street, named after the family, on Summer Lane. In 1884, a sheltered vegetable market in Jamaica Row was also completed.

The trade of [[horse]]s prospered in the area with over 3,000 horses for sale at its peak during the 1880s. However this fell into rapid decline; the last horse trading fair took place in 1911 with only eleven horses and one donkey in attendance.
[[File:Bull Ring Blitz.jpg|thumb|right|Destruction of the Bull Ring in the [[Birmingham Blitz]] in 1940]]
[[File:Bull Ring outdoor market. - geograph.org.uk - 708018.jpg|thumb|Bull Ring outdoor market in 2002]]
A large amount of the area survived [[World War II]]; however, nearby [[New Street, Birmingham|New Street]] was heavily bombed. Shops sold tax-free products to encourage shoppers to buy them as it was difficult for the public to buy goods even a decade after the end of the war. [[Woolworths (United Kingdom)|Woolworths]] set up on Spiceal Street in the Bull Ring and became a popular shop, becoming the largest store on the street. The old Market Hall was gutted on 25 August 1940 by an [[incendiary bomb|incendiary attack]], and remained as an empty shell, used for small exhibitions and open markets. No repair work was conducted on the building and the arches that housed the windows were bricked up.