Corn Exchange, Stamford

After King Edgar awarded the right to hold markets to the town in the year 972, trading in corn, cattle and vegetables centred on Broad Street. The market benefited from a modest stone covering, designed by the Rev. Henry de Foe Baker, which was erected on the north side of the street, adjacent to Browne's Hospital, in 1839. In the mid-19th century, a group of local businessmen decided to form a private company, known as the "Stamford Corn Market Company", to finance and commission a purpose-built corn exchange for the town. The site they selected, on the opposite side of the street, had been occupied by the Black Swan Inn. The new building was designed by Edward Browning in the Tudor…