19. Artists and photographers have tackled the Market Hall, and this contemporary painting by D. C. Green is perhaps the most picturesque. From 1939 to 1974, the local business community favoured demolishing the Market Hall and replacing it with modern steel and glass emporium. Since then, it has come to be recognized as distinctive and also representative of the ambitions of the late Victorians and the people of today. Today, the Market Hall is a credit to Peterborough and an object of pride. In view of the roller coaster history of neglect and indifference, it is now recognized as a unique market hall, unmatched in design or style anywhere in the province. John Belcher was a master architect and designer.