Market shoppers in 1900

THIS week’s Archive Corner shows the Market Square in Retford around 1900.

Everyone in the picture, men, women and children, appear to be wearing hats or caps and are smartly dressed for their shopping trip.

Big wicker baskets are full of wares and there are piles of goods to the left and right of the group of people.

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There are some covered stalls behind them, and in the background is a large shop called Hodson Stores.

Retford is one of the oldest chartered boroughs in England, dating back to 1246 and it existed even before the Domesday Survey, in which it gets a mention.

By the 14th century, there were three churches and a grammar school.

The River Idle running through the town was a means of transport and boats carried iron, timber and coal to and from the River Trent.

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Retford remained a market centre for the area up to the middle of the 18th century.

Chesterfield Canal runs through the town, along with the Great North Road, until it was diverted in the 1960s.

In the 19th century Retford was a centre of road, rail and canal traffic, while still retaining its character as a market town.

Meanwhile don’t forget our appeal for your photos from 1952, to help commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

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