The 17th-century Old Amersham centrepiece
Built in 1682, the Market Hall (a Grade II listed building) was gifted by Sir William Drake to the people of Old Amersham to use for meetings (upper floor) and markets (ground floor). Over the years, the building has been used to house the local fire engine (1904), a public water pump and the town lock-up, and is now predominantly used for functions and the weekly Saturday market. The whole building was restored in 1911 by William Wykeham Tyrrwhitt-Drake and bore the family crest on the south wall.
The building comprises an old tiled roof and an octagonal wooden cupola with a clock face, the clock tower was restored in 2021/22. On the east side, mischief-makers (normally drunks) were held overnight in the lock-up, notable for its inscription “Commit No Nuisance” above the door. An ancient water pump dating 1785 can also be found on the east side, gifted by a local benefactor—many houses didn’t have their own wells and water mains did not reach Amersham until 1910.
Photo credits: Mark Roberts
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