Newark Market Stalls

Newark Market Stalls

Attractive and versatile design options to enhance the Royal Market as a vibrant, historic centre for local community uses.

In September 2023, New Practice was commissioned to deliver a design and optioneering project for the market stalls in the Newark Royal Market, building on our previous work with Newark and Sherwood District Council (NSDC) for the Creative Place Commission (CPC). The CPC recommended strategic interventions to boost Newark's appeal as a destination, focusing on activating central, well-connected spaces for creative and cultural uses. A key focus of the CPC was the Market Place – a significant investment priority for NSDC and the Newark Heart project.

The collaborative project with the District and Town Council, developed thoughtful design enhancements for the existing market stall structures. The existing stalls were commissioned by NSDC in 2015, they are durable, mobile and have standard fixings. The design options utilise these functional features, while introducing possibilities for seating, lighting, and transforming the stalls into versatile pieces of furniture suitable for events and seasonal activities.

The design options create flexible additions that adapt the stalls to various traders' needs. Small additions, like secondary display shelves, create more display opportunities for different traders to showcase their goods – from handcrafted jewellery to fresh produce. Multiple configurations of the tabletops will allow for more versatility, offering options for smaller tables that bring traders closer to buyers.

Lighting and seating enhances functionality while making the stalls more inviting and visually appealing. The design options create opportunities to use the stalls as informal barriers for ticketed events to manage crowds and guide foot traffic. The modular approach of the designs, paired with the stalls' durable and mobile construction, transforms each stall into a multifunctional piece of furniture, able to accommodate a wide variety of events and traders.

The stalls have been thoughtfully considered to accommodate the Royal Market’s uses throughout different times of day, seasons, and events. On market days, they serve as robust platforms for traders, with lighting enhancements for seasonal evening trading, which invites activity beyond daylight hours and creates a welcoming atmosphere.

During non-market hours, the table tops can be packed down to minimise their perceived dominance, ensuring that important sight lines across the market are clear. At night, integrated lighting ensures the stalls are not dimly lit, dark spaces at night, but remain subtly illuminated, contributing to the vibrancy and feeling of safety of the Market Place