by John Prince
The directors of a much-loved market which is closing later this year after 40 years on the same site have revealed that they have found a new home – just a few hundred yards up the road.
Skirlington Market, between Hornsea and Skipsea, is to shut at the end of October.
In July, East Riding Council gave permission for a multimillion-pound redevelopment of the adjacent Skirlington Coast holiday park by Unity Holidays to go ahead.
Despite thousands of people signing a petition in support of the market, the decision means it will have to close.
The long-running saga about where it will go has come to an end, and the market will be upping sticks and relocating to a site opposite Far Grange golf course, just a stone’s throw away from where it is now.
Unity Holidays has been helping with the relocation, and building work has already started with directors aiming to open next Easter.
Director Angela Parry said: “We’re absolutely delighted. The field is opposite Far Grange golf course, just up the road towards Bridlington, so Skirlington will be staying in the same area. That was incredibly important to us.
“The field belongs to MB & J Goodwin, our previous landlords at Skirlington, and we’re really pleased to be working with the Goodwins again. Unity Holidays is also helping us with the relocation.
“The plan is for a seasonal outdoor site, running from spring until the end of October. There will be a separate market area with hardstanding, great caterers and plenty of seating with the car boot on the grass.
“It will be a very different Skirlington. We know some people will be disappointed that there won’t be an indoor market, but we’re genuinely excited about the opportunity for a fresh start and what we can create.
“We’re particularly pleased to be getting the car boot back onto a grass field because it really hasn’t been the same since we lost the grass area at the current site. We think bringing that back will make a real difference to the atmosphere.
“We’re hoping to give the new Skirlington more of a festival feel, while keeping everything people have always loved about it.
“Lots of familiar traders and caterers will be coming with us, and we’ll also be taking the giant ‘Skirlington’ letters. The helter-skelter will be refurbished and brought back into use too.
“Work on the field has already begun. French drains have been installed and it is being seeded, but there is still a great deal to do including rolling the field and creating the roadways and hardstanding.
“We’re aiming to open over Easter weekend 2027, but that will depend on the work being completed and the ground being ready.
“Our final market at the current site will be Spooky Sunday on October 25, with Halloween entertainment throughout the day, and a gathering at 2pm to mark the end of our 40 years there.”
Co-director Tom Parry said: “At the moment we are putting drainage in, and then we are grass seeding it. In the spring of 2027, we will be putting hardcore down for the entrance and exit to the car parks and we’re putting a hardcore pad in for the market.
“It’s more of an evolution. It’s in a nicer location, it’s a lovely field with beautiful views out the back, and we can design it how we want it.
“It should be a better site and more exciting for us to go forward with it. It’s integral for the area because the area is used to it.”