Halifax Borough Market

A Memory of Halifax.

When I was a small child in the 1950's my father had a toy stall in Halifax Borough Market. It was a wondrous place for a child in those days, a family, a community, with all the market children growing up together. I remember a cafe run by the Sullivan family that sold the cold fish (Halifax Fish) which I can honestly say was the best I have ever tasted. The market was full of interesting characters selling tripe, lino, pots and pans and everything you could ever want. There used to be an old lady on the door with an enormous 'weighing chair' for which she charged a penny. The market was extremely cold in the winter, everybody wore hats and mittens. It was a long day, usually finishing about 6.30 in the evening. Lots of stalls having their own selling calls - shouting out to the shoppers, touting for business, often very amusing. Stalls stayed in one family for many generations unlike today when the shops change all the time. The atmosphere and friendliness has gone, but not the happy memories I still treasure.

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