St Austell Market House’s roof needs some tender loving care, and the volunteers behind it are hoping the community will pitch in and help with a number of fundraising events. 

At nearly 200 years old, the roof needs some serious repair, to the tune of £1.4 million. This is exacerbated by the ageing guttering, which has been patched up for generations, to the extent that water is leaking through the roof.

The first Raise the Roof Concert will take place on Thursday, July 20 from 7pm, with two hours of sea shanties from eight singing acts including some who have been featured on TV and won local, national and international competitions.

The evening will include a ‘face-off’ in which the shanty singers will pit their talents and skills against other types of modern singers, with an audience vote; and the grand finale will be a rousing rendition of Harry Glasson’s Cornwall My Home.

Refreshments will include beers straight from the barrel and a wine bar, and tickets will cost from £5 to £20 – pay as much as you can afford.

The Market House CIC board of directors continue to chase grant funding, but board chairman Tristan Netherton said: “We can’t really wait for that, so we are taking the bit between our teeth and appealing to the community.” 

Over £180,000 has already been spent on making the building usable, including new windows, having new floors laid and creating a new cafe. 

“The problem is that the roof lead is starting to go, and the slate needs changing, so it’s leaking,” says Tristan. “In one area, it has collapsed – there is a sprung dance floor underneath, which is getting wet and starting to rot. Getting the guttering fixed will cost in the region of £90,000 which is more achievable as a first phase.”  

The Market House was built in 1844 using local granite from Trethurgy, and boasting the largest freestanding roof space in the northern hemisphere, supported not by the walls but by cast-iron poles. 

The butchers’ market was held in the centre of the ground floor, and the building was cleverly designed so that after slaughter, the floors could be sluiced out into the street. Crowds gathered here for the Bread Riots of 1847 and over 8,000 people congregated to hear William Gladstone speak in June 1889. 

There are two police lock-up cells on the ground floor, and upstairs is a large room that was used as a cinema during the First World War, with a seating capacity of 300. 

More recently, the town council rooms were on the first floor. Today, it’s home to a creative community of local independent resident traders.

“The Market House has been a focal point for St Austell for so long,” says Tristan. “It has an incredible history, built at a time when St Austell was rich from tin and china clay. More recently, anyone over 30 who grew up in St Austell will have had some form of impact from the Market House, be it buying their school uniform or getting their first bike here.” 

He added: “There is nothing else like this in St Austell. It’s a massive space, and you could get married in the church opposite, then have your reception here.” 

• For more information about this event and those to follow, visit www.staustellmarkethouse.co.uk