WOULDN'T you love to be a fly on this bench? The entrance to John Street Market is pictured in November 1971, when cool dudes with shoulder-length hair sat with senior citizens watching the world go by.

The new frontage, with 13 shops and a bank, was completed in just under a year, giving the former open market a modern look. The opening hours, six days a week, 8am-6pm, with a Wednesday half-day, were welcomed too. Also popular was the pitching aisle where, reported the T&A, stallholders could sell their produce using the gift of the gab.

It was another November date when a fire broke out at the popular market. On November 4, 1977, dozens of stalls, cafes and shops were destroyed during the night in the blaze. Reinforcements were called in from Halifax, Leeds, Keighley and Rawdon. When the first fire crews arrived, most of the stalls were beyond saving. It soon became a desperate battle to stop the flames from spreading to other shops.