Devastating fire at Lancaster Market Hall

Bernard Breslin sent us this picture of the fire at Lancaster Market in October 1984.
A picture of the Lancaster Market fire in October 1984. Picture by Bernard Breslin.A picture of the Lancaster Market fire in October 1984. Picture by Bernard Breslin.
A picture of the Lancaster Market fire in October 1984. Picture by Bernard Breslin.

Lancaster’s Market Hall was wrecked by the blaze and took years to rebuild.

The tea-time fire on October 8, 1984, caused an estimated £3m damage.

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Chatterbox Charlie, the mynah bird popular with hundreds of market shoppers, lived to tell the tale of his own ordeal.

A fixture in Mary and John Whittingham’s market pet shop, Charlie – along with Anthony the canary – was rescued by firemen at the height of the blaze.

Within a week of the fire, hundreds of people had put their names on a petition calling for the speedy rebuilding of the market hall.

Many years were to pass before a new purpose built market hall was to open.