Victorian Burslem Indoor market was built in 1897 and was opened by Alderman Thomas Hulme on 14th August 1879. It closed its doors in 2003.

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The market hall itself is synonymous with Burslem’s rise and subsequent decline. Inside one can see the echoes of its Victorian past with the ghost signs and fading advertisements from the Victorian era that still adorn several closed shops attached to the market hall.  The market’s gothic design and ironwork is reminiscent of King’s Cross station in London.

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The market closed its doors for the final time in 2003 after masonry dropped from the ceiling, making it unsafe for shoppers and is now in need of vital repairs. The market’s impressive iron and glass roof is now in danger of collapse, and the repair bill is expected to be close to £1,000,000.

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It has been included in the Victorian Society's top 10 most endangered buildings list.

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Plans to convert the market into a refugee-run international food hall have been tabled. The project team includes Our Burslem community group, artist Ian Mood and regeneration expert Mike Riddell, and Colchester-based Market Asset Management, which helped to relaunch Crewe's market last year.

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The Stoke sentinel reported in January 2022 that community campaigners were drawing up ambitious plans to transform the market into an international food hall with stalls run by asylum seekers and refugees.

Talks were taking place between community groups, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and a leading food and market hall operator to bring the crumbling market hall back to life. Proposals being discussed would see asylum seekers and refugees showcasing the foods of their homelands, as well as cultural groups using the space for arts, music, exhibitions and performances.