In 1702, the Market Hall of Wem was destroyed in a great fire that swept the centre of the town, destroying many of the timber-built buidings.The Great Wem Fire of 3rd March 1677. At the time of the fire a local girl, Jane Churn was about fourteen and whilst looking for fuel for the family fire, she inadvertently ignited their thatched roof with a candle flame. The dry conditions enabled the fire to spread quickly, burning homes and businesses throughout Wem.
The market house, church, roughly 540 other buildings including homes and outbuildings were lost in a great fire that could be seen for miles around. Many cattle were lost to the flames but possibly only one person died. He was Richard Sherratt, a shoemaker who was seen going under the market house which then fell upon him. At the end of May 1677 a brief detailing the total loss was obtained. The loss of buildings came to £14,760. 10s. Household goods totalled £8,916. 13s. 1d.
The replacement building wasa completed in 1728 and its uses included the Protestant Charity School for boys, with the upper floor being used for the Court Leet.
The foundation stone for a new hall was laid by Lord Barnard on the 4th February 1904. It was completed in 1911 and contained an upper Assembly Hall, a lower Market Hall, the Corn Exchange and a separate Cheese Hall.
The lower floor was used as a meeting place by the Territorial Army. In the 1920s, the building was transferred to the Diocesan Trust.
The structure is of red brick with a Victorian facade. In 1995, it was burned down again and then rebuilt with the aid of lottery funding.A photographer at the time produced a photo with what appears to be a ghostly figure inside the window. This was rumoured to be Jane Churn, the girl who, in 1677 was blamed (probably wrongly) for starting the 'Great fire of Wem'
In the early part of the 21C., North Shropshire District Council decided that the building was uneconomic and closed it. Protests, and the abolition of that council, resulted in it being reopened in 2010 in conjunction with the Adams School, who use it as a media centre. Since that time, it has proved to be a major success and is used for films, musical events and the Spring and Harvest Markets run by Wem Combine Harvesters. The cafe is also a great draw for people shopping in the town.
The modern building has a foyer and cafe, with a large meeting room upstairs. behind the foyer, there is a large market hall with a stage and cinema projection equipment. the Town market is held in this hall every Thursday.
The second photo (fortunately) does not show the fire, but a sunset over the Hall, taken from Chapel Street
