[1] The building was commissioned as a market hall by the lord of the manor, John Gilpin Sawrey, whose seat was at Broughton Tower c. 0.3 miles (0.48 km) to the northeast of the centre of the town.

[2][3] The building formed part of a grander scheme by Sawrey to lay out a market square for the town.

[4] The scheme was seen as very successful: the architectural historian, Nikolaus Pevsner, has described the square with its trees as "handsome".

[5] The building was designed in the Italianate style, built in brick with a cement render finish and was completed in 1766.

[4] The use of the building as a market hall declined significantly in the wake of the Great depression of British agriculture in the late 19th century.