The Covered Market is located in the city of Oxford. This market has some historic importance attached with it. The market dates back to 1774. It was started on the 1st of November 1774 and is still running to this very day. The market started off at Carfax and spread to its adjoining streets. The market was started in order to do away with the dirty, messy stalls that were laid out on the main streets of Oxford. The streets in the past were crowded with many stalls and traders all over and travel in this area became very hard and difficult.
It was John Gwynn who designed the Magdalen Bridge who took the initiative of drawing out plans for this market. He was the architect for this market. He designed its High Street front with four entrances. It was in 1772 that the proposal for the market was accepted by a bunch of people who had formed the Market committee. This committee was made up of members from the town as well as the university. They accepted the proposal to build twenty butcher shops at the price of nine hundred and sixteen pounds and ten shillings. Soon after, twenty more shops were built and in 1773 meats were only allowed to be sold inside the market. The market soon expanded and no longer sold only meats. It grew to sell garden produce, dairy products, pig meat, fish, cheeses etc.
Today this market is huge and continues to provide its valuable customers with all their needs. There are innumerous traders located in this one market. Majority of the market is made up of food retailers. You can find absolutely everything you want under this one roof. The market is a nice colorful place with all different fruits and vegetables put up on display. The market even sells many imported goods. Like any other market, this market sports varied smells. Amidst all the smells, you can get the smell of freshness in the items sold. Most of the shops in the market have been enlarged; they are not as small as they were back in the old days. Hence the number of businesses has obviously decreased as compared to before when the shops were smaller in size. This market continues to thrive with life and is always crowded and rushing with life. A visit to this market on a weekend will prove to be quite a task since there are tons of people who flood the market to buy their daily groceries for the week ahead.
There is absolutely no doubt that variety is the spice of life and this market definitely displays a whole wide long fresh range of variety!
The Covered Market still has four entrances which makes the market more accessible especially on the crowded days. All its four entrances are on High Street. There are also two entrances on Market Street. This market continues to remain the home of the original Ben’s cookies. They make the American cookies in this shop. This shop has long expanded and is located in a number of areas.
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Oxfordshire's Attractions 
