Biggleswade Market
(click here to see it all big an’ fancy like)
I don’t usually do a lot of drawing in my hometown – it’s not a very cosmopolitan place – but yesterday was perfect sketching weather. Overcast, but still hot and bright, meaning you can sit outside without burning to a crisp.
Finding myself free at lunchtime, I went into town with the intention of finding a bench to sit on so I could sketch the market. Our small town has a radically conservative council that regards the market as essential for the town – possibly because all of the council members are as old as the hills, and only think in shillings and half-pence. I have no idea what the market sells (apart from the flowers I had an excellent time painting, above) so I can’t make any jokes about it.
Actually, for a long time there was a hat stall that I enjoyed looking at whilst giggling uncontrollably, but I must assume that they closed down. How much repeat business can a hat stall get, anyway? They were also facing competition from a small shop in town called “The Hat Hut”, which only sold hats. This also seemed like an insane business, and I wasn’t surprised when it closed. I wasn’t happy either, but I wasn’t surprised. I’ve been thinking of making a commemorative hat of The Hat Hut which I could call The Hat Hut hat, but i just don’t have the millinery skills.
They do sometimes have a nice little cheese stall on the Saturday one but we hardly go there anymore so don’t know if it’s still there. Have you tried Sandy market? It makes the Biggleswade one look like Borough Market.
That market looks like it’s on the bloody continent – well done you for making what sounds like a dull market look glamorous and tres chic.
I wonder if people would buy water colour paintings of hats?
:-)
The painting captures the happy feel of the market and the market square!
The cheese man used to come over from Cambridge, where he also ran a stall. I haven’t seen him for quite a while, and he had health problems, so might have given up altogether.