Location Location Location - that is the problem, Teesdale Mercury

Location Location Location - that is the problem

Apr 1, 2008

IT'S had more functions than a Swiss Army knife and been hit more often than Audley Harrison, but one of Barnard Castle's most recognisable buildings could finally be given a new lease of life.

Consultants working for Barnard Castle Vision have rightly suggested that more could be done with the town's Market Cross.

At present, it's little more than an annoyance for lorry drivers - it's not even a proper roundabout, despite what your car's Sat Nav system may tell you.

The Market Cross is delightfully eccentric in both design and location, but that quirkiness means it will be hard to find it a 21st century purpose.

Why it was built in the middle of the road in the first place is a bit of a mystery. 

I had presumed it made more sense in the days before cars. But no, in 1866, the Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge said: "The market cross and shambles are very inconveniently 

situated, in the middle of the way."

And, in 1804, in his Tour in Teesdale, Richard Garland wrote: "The market cross is... directly and inconveniently in the very middle of the way."

Perhaps, when Thomas Breaks built his octagonal wonder, back in 1747, he was only worried about 

aesthetics, because, visually, it is in exactly the right spot. Positioned anywhere else it would lose much of its impact.

Of course, its challenging situation has not stopped the Market Cross from being used to the full.

Down the years, it has been a jail, a butter market, a courthouse, a town hall, a meeting room and a fire 

station - all significant and important roles that befit such a distinctive and historic building.

Today, it is a store for broken Christmas lights and a hangout for bored teenagers - a stark reminder that the town's importance as a regional centre is on the wane.

Since the arrival of the motor engine there have been several calls to demolish the structure. One councillor wanted it moved, stone by stone, to the grounds of the Bowes Museum. An earlier proposal is mentioned on this week's Mercury Memories page.

Thankfully, public outcry has always stopped these people from getting their way, although, the fear remains that one day an impatient trucker, on his mobile phone, will do the job for them. 

With today's stringent health and safety laws, the Market Cross must be connected to the footpath on at least one side if it is to function again. The question is how.

You could introduce traffic lights, but this would probably result in tailbacks up The Bank every rush hour. It has even been suggested you could move the building 15 feet towards the public toilets, but this seems rather like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Other than running cable cars from St Mary's Church tower, I don't have the magic answer, but I would love to see the Market Cross back in use.

With Barnard Castle's farmers' market booming, wouldn't it be good to see butter being sold in the Butter market again? And what about turning the upstairs room into an art gallery, or small museum? 

Breathing new life into the Market Cross would breathe new life into Barney and I really hope the Vision team can pull it off.

DID anyone else notice the job advertised by Durham County Council last week? They are 

looking to appoint an Impact Foundation Curriculum Facilitator. Given it comes with a salary of almost £28,000 I was tempted to apply. Surely I can facilitate impact with the best of them. Whatever that means.

First published in the Mercury, Wednesday, March 26, 2008