The Corn Exchange

As well as livestock farming, West Sussex was an important grain growing area, and corn was sold at the market cross and in local inns.

In the 1830s, Chichester was among the first cities in Britain to build a Corn Exchange. As in many other towns this was a large imposing building, designed to attract trade from rival centres.

The Exchange was designed by a local architect called George Draper, and featured giant cast-iron columns at the entrance. The building was funded by local business leaders, who became shareholders.

Not everything went according to plan and in 1835, shortly after the Corn Exchange opened, the shareholders were called to a meeting where they were told "the roof...cannot be deemed safe and...it is necessary to take it off and put on a new one."

Corn Exchanges were important public buildings outside trading hours, and Chichester's was no exception. In 1883 the committee in charge of the Corn Exchange decided to hire it out for drama and entertainment.