Old Spitalfields Market
Coordinates: 51°31′10″N 0°4′31″W / 51.51944°N 0.07528°W / 51.51944; -0.07528
Old Spitalfields Market
Old Spitalfields Market is a covered market in Spitalfields, London. There has been a market on the site for over 350 years. In 1991 it gave its name to New Spitalfields Market in Leyton, where fruit and vegetables are now traded.
It is situated in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, just outside the City of London. The closest London Underground and mainline railway station is Liverpool Street.
Contents
1 Historic market
2 Modern market
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Historic market
The 1887 frontage of Spitalfields Market
There has been a market on the site since 1638 when King Charles I gave a licence for flesh, fowl and roots to be sold on Spittle Fields, which was then a rural area on the eastern outskirts of London.[1] After the rights to a market had seemingly lapsed during the time of the Commonwealth, the market was re-founded in 1682 by King Charles II in order to feed the burgeoning population of a new suburb of London.
Market buildings were sited on the rectangular patch of open ground which retained the name Spittle Fields: demarcated by Crispin Street to the west, Lamb Street to the north, Red Lion Street (later subsumed into Commercial Street) to the east and Paternoster Row (later known as Brushfield Street) to the south.[2][3] The existing buildings were built in 1887 to service a wholesale market, owned by the City of London Corporation.
Spitalfields Market was extended westward to Steward Street in 1926, destroying the northern extensions of Crispin Street and Gun Street in the process.[4]
The wholesale fruit and vegetable market moved to New Spitalfields Market, Leyton, in 1991 and the original site became known as Spitalfields Market.
The market stalls were redesigned by leading British architects Foster+Partners for Old Spitalfields Market in October 2017.
Modern market
Old Spitalfields Market 2018
Being at the centre of a revival in the area, the eastern end of Spitalfields retained its old charm in Horner Square and Horner Buildings, which are Grade II listed buildings.[5] These market buildings were designed by George Sherrin for the last private owner of the fruit and vegetable market, Robert Horner, and built between 1885 and 1893. The original Victorian buildings and the market hall and roof have been restored and Spitalfields is now one of London's major markets. The market square is a popular fashion, arts and crafts, food and general market, open seven days a week, but is particularly busy at weekends.
In the late 20th century, there was a dispute between the owners, the City of London Corporation and local residents about the redevelopment of the 1926 market extension at the western end. The Corporation won, and now a Norman Foster-designed office block surrounds the western side of the site, after two-thirds of the historic market were rebuilt to include restaurants, shops and a large indoor arts and crafts market, called the Traders' Market.
The Gun, a pub situated to the south of the market buildings, recalls Tudor times, when the Old Artillery Ground in this area was used by the Honourable Artillery Company to practice with cross-bow, and later guns and artillery pieces.
At the east end, and on the other side of Commercial Street, is Christ Church, a large Nicholas Hawksmoor church.
In January 2011 Spitalfields received the "Best Private Market" award by the National Association of British Market Authorities.[6]
Old Spitalfields Market currently hosts a vintage market each Thursday, a vinyl fair some Fridays and a general arts and craft market throughout the week continuing through to the weekend.[7]
See also
- Leadenhall Market
- Old Billingsgate Market
- Petticoat Lane Market
- Smithfield Market
Notes
^ Spitalfields Market Published 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
^ Spitalfields (Part 2) From "The Copartnership Herald", Vol. I, no. 11 (Christmas 1931-January 1932) Archived 2006-05-21 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Fiona Rule (2008) The Worst Street in London. Hersham, Ian Allan: 25
^ Fiona Rule (2008) The Worst Street in London. Hersham, Ian Allan: 201
^ Historic England. "Details from image database (206456)". Images of England. Retrieved 8 August 2009..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Parker Ward Ltd – Press release". Cision Wire. Archived from the original on 22 March 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
^ "Old Spitalfields Market". 'Old Spitalfields Market'. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
References
- The East London History Society: Spitalfields history (Part 2)
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Old Spitalfields Market. |
- Old Spitalfields Market - Official Website
- Old Spitalfields Market - English Heritage Listed Building details
- The Roman cemetery discovered during the rebuilding of Spitalfields Market
