Spitalfields market is the Beetle's favourite London market. It
has the advantage of not being fantastically busy, like Portobello
Rd market or Petticoat Lane, and it offers a surprising range of
products to buy and things to look at.
It is less than 10 minutes walk from Liverpool Street tube station
(get out at the Broadgate exit and just follow everyone else, or
ask). It is open on Sundays from around 8am to 3pm. It dates back
to 1682 and was once the largest fruit and veg market in London,
before it moved location to East London.
Old Spitalfields Market on Commercial Street was the location of a
medieval hospital and priory of St. Mary Spital founded in 1197.
Back then, this was the outside boundary of London, and the
hospital is reputed to have provided shelter to travellers, hence
the name `Spital fields'. The area remained fields until
Charles II founded the fruit, flower and vegetable market in 1682.
Another claim to fame is that Spitalfields was the site of Jack the
Ripper's first victim!
Today, you can buy organic meat, vegetables, bread and patisserie,
second hand books and records, vintage clothes, gemstones,
jewellery, candles, pictures, kites – all sorts! There are a couple
of cafes and pubs close by if you are in need of sustenance after a
hard few hours seeing what the market has to offer.
Want to tell us about your local market? Contact the Beetle: the Beetle
Next month: Borough Market, London, as featured in Bridget
Jones' Diary