Ruthin has been a market town for centuries, with its history as a borough stretching back to the late 13th century. Today, the town's regular market activity is centred on Ruthin Market Hall on Market Street, a community market showcasing independent traders, makers and local businesses.
Opening Times
Ruthin Market Hall currently opens Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm, and Sunday from 10am to 2pm, alongside a programme of special markets, community activities and events. Opening arrangements and individual traders can vary, so it is worth checking the Market Hall's own current programme before making a special journey.
Ruthin's Market History — An Honest Account
Ruthin's market tradition is genuinely old: the town's borough charter, granted in the late 13th century, established its original right to hold a market, and St Peter's Square — sometimes referred to historically, though not by most local sources today, as Y Maes — was that marketplace for centuries. What that charter does not support is a claim that an unbroken Wednesday market has traded on the square continuously ever since.
The more recent history is mixed. A Denbighshire County Council report covering 2013/14 recorded that the Ruthin Produce Market was, by that point, "no longer in existence," although other organisations have subsequently run occasional markets on the square. Local historical accounts describe a produce market operating there from roughly 2006 to 2011, and later attempts to relaunch a market on the square, none of which had much staying power apart from the annual Christmas market.
We should also flag an inconsistency rather than paper over it: Ruthin Market Hall's own website describes the building as originating in the 14th century. Other historical material about the present Town Hall and market complex instead dates it to the 1860s, with the new market hall's foundation stone laid in 1863 and the building completed in 1865. We haven't been able to reconcile those two accounts, so we're not presenting either as settled fact here.
Getting There
Ruthin Market Hall is on Market Street in the town centre, a short walk from St Peter's Square. Parking is available in the central car parks off Record Street and Clwyd Street.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Ruthin Market Hall's opening hours?
Ruthin Market Hall on Market Street currently opens Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm, and Sunday from 10am to 2pm, alongside occasional special markets and events. Opening times and individual traders can vary, so check the Market Hall's own current listings before a special journey.
Is there still a market on Ruthin's town square?
Not as a regular weekly event. St Peter's Square was Ruthin's historic marketplace, but the produce market that ran there in the 2000s had lapsed by the early 2010s, according to a Denbighshire County Council report. The square still hosts occasional events, including a Christmas market in December, but regular trading has moved to Ruthin Market Hall on Market Street.
How old is Ruthin's market tradition?
Ruthin's borough charter, granted in the late 13th century, established the town's original right to hold a market — one of the oldest market traditions in Wales. That does not mean an unbroken weekly market has run on the same site ever since; today's regular market trading is centred on Ruthin Market Hall.