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CHRISTMAS MARKETS OF CENTRAL ENGLAND

October 16, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Lincoln, Manchester, Birmingham & Leeds, England

Manchester Market (gqcentral.co.uk)

Manchester Market (gqcentral.co.uk)

The tradition of Christmas Markets in the British Isles seems to have migrated over from Germany as early as the 16th century.  Unfortunately, due to the somewhat overzealous efforts of certain religious factions in the 1600s, England’s holiday markets experienced a long hiatus that would continue more or less into the 20th century.  It wasn’t until the 1980s that the first annually recurring Christmas Market reappeared in the United Kingdom, in the city of Lincoln in Central England.  From its humble beginnings of eleven stalls and a few thousand visitors in 1982, the Lincoln Christmas Market has grown into an impressive affair, with as many as a quarter of a million visitors flooding Lincoln’s Castle Square every December.

From Lincoln, the United Kingdom experienced a spectacular proliferation of Christmas Markets that quickly spread across the country.  Perhaps no city embraced the new tradition as enthusiastically as nearby Manchester, which now boasts not one, but five different Christmas markets every year.  Manchester’s Christmas activities center around the main market in Albert Square, in the shadow of the city’s towering Christmas Tree.  The other markets are scattered throughout the city center, and run for nearly a month in November and December, making the Manchester markets collectively among the longest running each year.

Lincoln Market (wikipedia.com)

Lincoln Market (wikipedia.com)

In Birmingham and Leeds, as well as in other places, the Germans got into the act.  Hearkening back to the days of the medieval Christmas trade coming from Frankfurt, Birmingham and Leeds developed Christmas Markets with a distinctly German flair.  These two markets are now among the highest attended outside of Central Europe.  The Birmingham Christmas Market in particular is the most popular in England, and may be the most attended Christmas Market in the world outside of Germany, with an estimated two million visitors stopping by every year.

Together, Lincoln, Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham represent the Big Four of England’s Christmas Market scene.  The Lincoln Market, traditionally the shortest, usually runs in the first week of December, from 10:30am-9:30pm on most days.  The Manchester Markets run from mid-November until a few days before Christmas, from 10:00am-9:00pm on most days.  The Birmingham Market runs from mid-November until a few days before Christmas, from 10:00am-9:00pm on most days.  The Leeds Market runs from mid-November through the third week in December, from 10:30am-9:00pm on most days.  Obviously, dates and times vary from year-to-year, so visitors should check ahead.  There is no cost of admission at any of these Christmas Markets, though few visitors will escape without spending at least some money!  Web: http://christmasmarket.lincoln.gov.uk; www.manchester.gov.uk/markets; www.birmingham.gov.uk/frankfurtmarket; www.festiveleeds.com/christmasmarket (official websites of the Lincoln, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds Markets respectively)

Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: British Isles

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About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

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Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

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Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

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Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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