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Smithfield Market -

Smithfield became London's livestock market in the Middle Ages, making it one of the oldest markets in the city. 

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Place of execution -

Smithfield was also notorious as a place of public execution. It was here, in 1305, that Scottish rebel William Wallace was hung, drawn, and quartered. In the 16th century, numerous Protestant men and women were burnt at the stake as punishment for their religious beliefs. 

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Bartholomew Fair -

From the 12th century to the 19th century, the area hosted the Bartholomew Fair. One of London's pre-eminent summer charter fairs, it originally served as a trade show for buyers and sellers of cloth. It later became a stage for prize fighters, musicians, wire walkers, acrobats, puppet masters, freak shows, and wild animals. The fair was shut down in 1855 by the city authorities for encouraging debauchery and public disorder.  

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New market premises -

The livestock market also ceased activity in the 1850s. Construction of a new covered market at Smithfield began in 1866.

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Imposing architecture -

Designed by the renowned architect Sir Horace Jones, who was also responsible for designing Tower Bridge, the imposing building opened as a masterpiece of wrought-iron craftsmanship, imposing but elegant and created to facilitate the smooth running of business. The complex of halls included the central meat market, general market, and poultry market. 

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Changing times -

Smithfield thrived throughout the second half of the 19th century. By the mid-20th century, however, the market's fortunes began to change. Poor hygiene and animal welfare were the main criticisms, but import practices were also to blame. Meat stopped arriving through London's docks and Britain's trading relationships with Europe and the rest of the world changed. 

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The fire of '58 -

Then on January 23, 1958, fire ripped through the Union Cold Storage Co. at the market. It took 1,700 firefighters several days to combat the blaze. Two firefighters were killed and 50 were injured or treated for smoke inhalation. The devasting inferno gutted the historic building. 

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Wholesale meat market -

Out of the ashes rose a replacement building, designed by Sir Thomas Bennett and inaugurated in 1962. 

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End of an era -

As the City of London's only major wholesale meat market, Smithfield operated for another 60-plus years until the announcement of its closure in November 2024. It will cease trading for good in 2028, bringing to an end eight centuries of tradition. The building is set to house the relocated London Museum. 

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Covent Garden Market -

London's other great market, Covent Garden, can trace its roots back to 1654 when traders were allowed to set up a fruit and vegetable market within the grounds of Bedford House, the stately home of the Duke of Bedford. In 1670, the Duke was granted a license by Charles II to hold a market every day except Sundays and Christmas. 

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Flowers, fruits, and vegetables -

By the mid-18th century, Convent Garden had become London's busiest flower, fruit, and vegetable market. The following century, it got a facelift. Esteemed architect Charles Fowler was commissioned to design a building to cover and better organize the market. 

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Market expansion -

The market flourished during the Victorian era and into the early 20th century, and further buildings were added, namely the Floral Hall, Charter Market, and Jubilee Market. 

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Covent Garden Market -

In 1974, Covent Garden Market moved to Nine Elms in Battersea and became known as New Covent Garden Market. Meanwhile, Charles Fowler's 1830 neo-classical building was restored as a retail market.  

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Old Spitalfields Market -

There has been a regular market in Spitalfields since 1682. Spitalfields takes its name from the hospital and priory, St. Mary's Spittel, which was founded in 1197. 

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Horticultural hotspot -

Old Spitalfields was Britain's premier horticultural wholesale market for two centuries, having fully come to fruition in the 1800s. The Spitalfields district gained considerable notoriety in 1888 when the body of Mary Jane Kelly, the final victim of Jack the Ripper, was found in Dorset Street, not far from the market site. 

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Further expansion -

In the 1920s the City of London purchased—and further expanded—the market, with heated cellars for the ripening of bananas, a novel addition. 

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Old and new -

In 1991, Old Spitalfields Market was effectively retired. New Spitalfields Market opened in Leyton in May 1991. Today, the original site contains antique markets, vintage clothes stores, arts and crafts stalls, and hosts a popular weekly vinyl fair.  

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Billingsgate Market -

Billingsgate in the City of London became the center of a prosperous fish market during the 16th and 17th centuries but did not become formally established until an Act of Parliament in 1699. In 1872, the Corporation of London obtained permission to rebuild and enlarge the market, which was carried out to plans by Sir Horace Jones, who also designed Smithfield. 

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Landing the fish -

The market was sited near Billingsgate Wharf, one of the busiest piers in the capital. Here, fish of all sizes and varieties were landed and carried aloft by porters on bobbin hats—flat-topped headwear specifically designed for the task. 

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Busy heyday -

In this vintage image, horse drays, crates, and barrows throng Billingsgate, with the landmark Monument column looming large in the background. 

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Celebrity status -

The original market can claim some celebrity status. The writer George Orwell worked at Billingsgate in the 1930s, as did the infamous Kray twins in the 1950s. In 1982, the famous fish market relocated to Poplar on the Isle of Dogs. 

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Naschmarkt, Austria -

There are several historic markets in Europe worth noting. Vienna's Naschmarkt is the city's largest fruit and vegetable market. It's also the oldest. 

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Naschmarkt, Austria -

Established in the 16th century and originally known as Aschenmarkt, this popular marketplace started to be called the Naschmarket around 1820. 

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Marché des Enfants Rouges, France -

The Marché des Enfants Rouges is the oldest covered food market in Paris. It opened for business in 1615, originally as the "petit marché du Marais." 

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Marché des Enfants-Rouges, France -

The market's name in English translates as "Market of the Red Children," and refers to the nearby former Hospice des Enfants-Rouges where orphans were clothed in red (the color of charity). 

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Marché Saint-Eustache Les Halles, France -

While we're in Paris, take a look at this photograph. This is Marché Saint-Eustache Les Halles, a market in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. It was taken in 1890 at 6 am on the streets that once formed the heart of Les Halles, famously known as "the belly of Paris."

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Hopfenmarkt, Germany -

Hamburg's crowded Hopfenmarkt, or Hop Market, is pictured here in 1908 during a busy Saturday afternoon. 

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Hopfenmarkt, Germany -

A market no longer exists at this location, though the district retains the Hopfenmarkt name. The church in both images is Saint Nicolas. Today only the bell tower remains, the majority of the building having been destroyed during the Second World War.  

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Alkmaar, Netherlands -

Besides flowers, the Netherlands is known for its cheese. And the most famous Dutch cheese market in the country takes place every Friday morning and Tuesday evening in Alkmaar, North Holland.

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Alkmaar, Netherlands -

Alkmaar was already a cheese town when the market first opened in 1365, according to written records. In 1593, the Alkmaar Cheese Carriers' Guild was established. Today, the sight of costumed guild members hauling balls of cheese on wooden barrows is one of the most iconic emblems of the nation.  

Sources: (London Museum) (Wholesale Markets) (London Fire Brigade) (The Guardian) (Alkmaar Kaasmarkt) 

See also: The secrets to making the most of your local farmers' market

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