Markets

Dorchester has been home to markets since its founding as the Roman town of Durnovaria. The location of the Roman forum and basilica is believed by many to have been on or near the area where the Corn Exchange and Cornhill stand today.

Following the Romans' withdrawal from Britain around AD 410, markets continued to be held around the same spot from Anglo-Saxon times onwards. By the medieval period, Dorchester had developed into a busy market town, with three weekly markets and three annual fairs.

The Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs records that the earliest documented evidence of our town's market dates from 1228, when it is recorded as a mercatum held by King Henry III, making it a royal market, held under the King's own authority rather than granted to a local lord. This confirms that Dorchester's market rights were already ancient enough that no formal grant needed to be issued, meaning our right to hold a market is a 'prescriptive' right - one recognised as having existed from time immemorial. In 1305, the year Dorchester became the county town of Dorset, these long-established market rights were formally recognised in charter form for the first time.

Three centuries later, updates to Dorchester's market charter by King James I (1610) and King Charles I (1629) further solidified the town's status as a hub for market trading.

Dorchester Town Hall was completed in 1791 with a market space beneath it. When it was replaced by the current municipal buildings in 1847-48, a purpose-built Corn Exchange was incorporated into the new structure - a fitting home for the grain trade that had been central to the town's economy for centuries. The exchange floor has since been converted into an events venue, which it remains today.

Since 1st April 2026, responsibility for carrying on this long tradition has passed to Dorchester Town Council, which now manages both the Fairfield and Cornhill markets. The Council's aim is to develop successful and thriving markets that befit the county town of Dorset, enhancing the town's retail and commercial offer and creating a vibrant destination for locals and visitors alike.

Cornhill

With roots as a market space stretching back to Roman Britain, there are few town markets that can boast such a rich heritage.

Sitting at the very heart of Dorchester, at the junction of South Street and the historic High Street, Cornhill is the perfect spot for traders looking to capture passing trade from locals and visitors alike. A wide variety of goods can be found here on any given day throughout the week.

Fairfield

Our Wednesday market at Fairfield has somewhat more recent roots than Cornhill, though its history is rich in its own right. The livestock market moved from the town centre to the Fairfield site in the mid-19th century, with food and produce stalls following later. Thomas Ensor is credited with founding the modern weekly market in 1860, and it became so well established that in 1877 the site was officially laid out as a dedicated market area. The Ensor family continued to manage the market for the next century and a half, until April 2026 when Dorchester Town Council took over.

The Wednesday market has long been a major attraction for the town, drawing visitors from across the region and holding a firm place in the weekly routines of a great many locals, who return each week to mingle, browse and shop. On Sunday mornings, the site also hosts one of Dorset's most popular car boot sales.

We are proud of the market, its history and its reputation, and are committed to growing and developing both the market and the site it stands on, including planned physical improvements to the Fairfield site itself. We welcome traders both old and new as we build on what already exists and strengthen the market's place within our community for generations to come.

Cornhill market is available to traders throughout the week.

Our Fairfield Market runs on Wednesdays from 6.30am – 2pm.

If you’re interested in holding a stall, please contact either:

Marc Sweeney, Markets & Communications Officer on 07498 387601 or email marcsweeney@dorchester-tc.gov.uk

Daryl Chambers, Markets Officer, on 07535 896 893 or email darylchambers@dorchester-tc.gov.uk