Covered Market (Oxford)

As a student at Oxford, my introduction to the Covered Market was Ben's Cookies - the sweet, irresistible scent of Ben's varieties of cookies drew many a student in, though the food stalls were unable to keep them there. The French baguette place (forgive me, for the name escapes me! But closer to the High Street side than the Cornmarket side) was a favourite for lunch, as was Pie Minister further in. But I shied away from the produce sellers and butchers of the Covered Market initially as I feared that their organic produce and meats would mean premium prices, making it simply not complementary to my student lifestyle! But finding myself ...  Read the complete review

Located in the centre of Oxford just off the busy Cornmarket Street, the Covered Market is just what it says on the tin, an indoor market. Although this is also slightly misleading as calling it that doesn't really do it justice. The market has alot of history associated with it & has been open since 1774. It was setup in order to clear up the streets of the various market stalls which existed, & it has been open ever since. The place contains market stalls as well as small independent stores selling distinctive products different from what's on offer on the main shopping streets. As well as buying fruit, veg & meat from the various ...  Read the complete review

The covered market is one of the most famous shopping areas of Oxford city and has been trading since the seventeen hundreds. It was originally an outside market, however, it was decided that the market looked too messy and that it needed to be housed. The individual commissioned to take on the design work was John Gwynn, the architect of the famous Magdalen Bridge. The building was designed and it still stands today with some alterations such as the high-raftered roofs which are the outcome of nineteenth century rebuilding. The market now mainly houses small shops and boutiques rather than market stalls. * The shops* I love to visit the covered ...  Read the complete review

The covered Market is a Victorian shopping area in the centre of Oxford. It can be accessed from the High St., Market St., or through the Golden Cross Arcade in Cornmarket St. It was originally established in the 16th century in order to remove the 'untidy mess and unsavoury stalls' from the Oxford streets. Originally it housed only butcher's shops but eventually had a variety of food stalls. The market has changed quite dramatically in recent years. It used to house almost only food shops, the majority supplying the kitchens of the University colleges but in more recent years many of the traditional shops have given way to a variety of ...  Read the complete review

It is a sad consequence of the advance of large supermarkets that local markets have almost disappeared from life in England. True, there are some left, but they are rare. What a delight that one of these exceptions is in the centre of Oxford, a city whose centre is otherwise suprisingly poorly served by food shops- a very small and unattractive Sainsbury's and an even worse Asda that is more akin to Russian supermarket than anythig one might hope to find in 21st century Britain. The covered market is home to about two dozen shops, the vast majority of which sell food. There is also a cobbler, a rather meagerly stocked second-hand bookshop and some ...  Read the complete review