Phil Gillam: Carbuncle or classic? Our market hall still divides us

As someone who has wrestled with this question over several decades, I am always intrigued those folk who are quick to protest against suggestions that the clock tower should be demolished.

Some of these people even refer to the building as "classic" and say Shrewsbury's skyline would simply not be the same without it. Well, while many might disagree with the first part of that argument, no-one can quibble with the second part. The clock tower is an unmistakable element in the town's skyline.

If it were ever to be demolished, we would, no doubt, miss it!

Love it or hate it, the sixties market hall is – let's be honest – a bit of a monster.

It's enormous.

But I suppose really it's all down to a matter of perception. Many of us who love Shrewsbury think of it as a lovely old town boasting many fine black and white timber-framed buildings and also many elegant Georgian and Victorian structures. But then we start to go a bit wobbly when we have to try to justify the more modern stuff.

Believe me, I am one of those who goes a bit wobbly when I'm showing off the town to visitors and we stumble across the Shirehall or the big town centre shopping complexes or indeed the market hall.

Instead, I would steer my guests in the direction of The Square (carefully ignoring Princess House of course). I would show them Bear Steps and Fish Street and Dogpole and Wyle Cop and the English Bridge and The Abbey.

But the monstrous market hall, I would tend to avoid because – well, because it doesn't really fit in.

You know what I mean?

Yet there are plenty of counter-arguments which praise the market hall.

I read with interest a good while ago now that the 1970s steel-and-glass shopping centre at Milton Keynes had won Grade II listed status – much to the bewilderment of many locals. The Secretary of State – having been persuaded by English Heritage and others – that the building was worthy of such recognition, conceded that it has never been universally loved. Now, there's an understatement.

But, as Tina Turner might put it, what's love got to do with it?

The UK's oldest rollercoaster (doubtless an eyesore to many) – built in 1920 in Margate – was also recently given Grade II listing, as was the 1964 concrete signal box at Birmingham New Street. Clearly, love (at least the widespread love of the public at large) is of little consequence here.

Our eldest son once suggested knocking down the oversized market hall (flanked as it is by the humble and rather quaint Claremont Street and the historic Shoplatch) but keeping the clock tower – because (he said) it truly has become an integral part of the skyline. That sounds like the start of a slightly different debate. But, hey, perhaps some of us (myself included) need to update what we think of as being precious.

By the way, I would never wish my readers to think I was not a fan of the market itself.

I absolutely love the market.

The atmosphere within the building is almost always friendly and welcoming and the market offers a terrific range of goods. Of course, I have said all this before in previous columns, but I feel I need to say it again in case new readers get the wrong end of the stick and think I'm criticising the market itself as opposed to the architecture which houses it.

And (guess what?) as I've hinted already, even when it comes to the giant structure, my feelings have changed over the years and I think I am ready now to accept it as an important part of dear old Shrewsbury.