After King Charles II granted the town a charter of incorporation in 1679, the newly elected freemen decided to commission a market hall: the new building was completed in 1680 but was burnt down in a major fire in 1750.[2][3] The current building, which was erected on the site of the original structure, was designed in the neoclassical style, built in red brick with stone dressings and was built between 1755 and 1764.[4] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto the High Street.