Thirty-seven days after the fire that forced its sudden closure, Market House is back.
Tomorrow at 10am, the doors will open once again after being shut to the public ever since a New Year’s Eve fire swept through the Victorian building.
It follows a frenetic period of restoration involving Trafford Council and a team of contractors from Manchester firms McCosker and DCI Electrical.
And Nick Johnson, of Market Operations, said he and the entire 40-strong Market House staff were thrilled to be back.
“The really weird thing is how powerful this place became in the three months it was open,” he said. “People were sometimes coming in for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so to take that away suddenly was a surprise not only to us but to the people who felt it was part of their life.
Below: Nick Johnson (front left) with some of Market House’s traders
“There was a massive outpouring of emotion and that’s the right word because it does create a sense of emotion with both people who work here and the people who visit it.”
After being frustrated by some initial delays, Johnson hailed the council’s efforts in turning around the work.
“I can’t say how delighted we all are to be in Market House doing what everybody loves doing. The bit that’s just been painted (on the ceiling) is the bit that didn’t get painted first time around because we didn’t have the budget! It looks great and I just can’t wait for people to come back.
“The thing with Market House is that it’s all about the people – the people who have their business in here and the people who have made it part of their life. It’s the atmosphere is what really makes the place incredibly special, and the only thing that brings atmosphere is the lifeblood of the people occupying the space.”
Below: Honest Crust’s Richard Carver
Richard Carver, one of the team behind Market House pizza company Honest Crust, said the building had never looked better. “The general consensus is that it looks better than it did before,” he said.
“In some respects it was handy to have a break and take stock of what’s happened over the last few months and catch up on my spreadsheets. But for the last couple of weeks we’ve been really ready to get back and start making pizzas.
“I literally can’t wait to get back making pizza and lighting that first oven of the day.”
Trafford Council said the remedial works were completed 10 days ahead of schedule.
Councillor Michael Hyman, Executive Member for Economic Growth and Planning, said: “The reopening of the Market House ahead of schedule is fantastic news and we sincerely welcome everyone back into the venue.
“We are extremely confident that this historic focal point will continue where it left off, bringing even more people into the town and building on the brilliant success it achieved in its last three months of operating.
“Market Operations and the Council have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to support the refurbishments and to get the Market House back in operation as soon as possible, so a big thank you to all those involved in achieving this key milestone.”
