Images from our archives show the popularity of market places
They are the heart of our towns, giving communities a focal point to shop, socialise and catch up with the latest gossip.
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Here we look back through our archives at some fascinating images of market places and town centre scenes across North Yorkshire over the decades.
There’s the hustle and bustle of a fair and cattle mart with crowds gathered in Ripon Market Place in 1894.
Meanwhile, another image shows a gaggle of geese waddling down the High Street on market day in Knaresborough in the late 19th century.
And in another photograph, a policeman is directing traffic on a busy market day in Thirsk during the 1940s.
North Yorkshire Archives holds thousands of historic photos - you can browse the collection through the online shop.
If you have any further information about any of the images on this page, our archivists would be keen to hear about it. Please email yny@northyorks.gov.uk.
Bedale Market Place in the 1950s. Taken by local photographer Bertram Unné, active between 1940 and 1979.
Stokesley High Street in the 1950s. Taken by local photographer Bertram Unné, active between 1940 and 1979.
North Row of Market Place in Richmond in 1945. From a collection of British Council photographs within Richmond District Council records.
Looking north along Northallerton High Street with Smirthwaite’s Garage and petrol pumps in the foreground. The photo dates from 1956 and is from a collection by G.W. Martin, Northallerton Camera Club.
Yorkshire Penny Bank with two Percival’s coaches parked in the Market Place in Richmond in October 1948. Image taken by the Bradford Photographic Society.
An October Show Fair in Ripon Market Place in 1894. This image is part of the Ripon Re-Viewed collection created by the Ripon Civic Society and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).
A June fair and cattle mart showing the Church Army wagon in Ripon Market Place in 1894. This image is part of the Ripon Re-Viewed collection created by the Ripon Civic Society and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).
A gaggle of geese waddling down the High Street on market day in Knaresborough during the late 19th century.
A busy street scene on the High Street in Skipton in the 1950s. Taken by local photographer Bertram Unné, active between 1940 and 1979.
A policeman is pictured directing traffic on a busy market day in Thirsk in the 1940s. Taken by local photographer Bertram Unné, active between 1940 and 1979.
A postcard showing the Market Place in Settle in the 19th century. From a collection of photographs, postcards and sketches in the Lord Manuscript archive.