Borough Market is a

wholesale Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...

and

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...

market hall A market hall is a covered space or a building where food and other articles are sold from stalls by independent vendors. A market hall is a type of indoor market and can be found in many European countries. The most common variation of a mar ...

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, London, England. It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, with a market on the site dating back to at least the 12th century. The present buildings were built in the 1850s, and today the market mainly sells speciality foods to the general public.

History

The market itself claims to have existed since 1014 "and probably much earlier" as

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...

, writing in '' Heimskringla'', describes Southwark as a "great market town" in reference to an incident of 1014. A market that originally adjoined the end of London Bridge was first mentioned in 1276 and was subsequently moved south of St Margaret's church on the High Street. The City of London received a royal charter from

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

in 1550 to control all markets in Southwark (see Guildable Manor), which was confirmed by Charles II in 1671. However, the market caused such traffic congestion that, in 1754, it was abolished by an act of Parliament, the ( 28 Geo. 2. c. 9). A second act that year, the ( 28 Geo. 2. c. 23), allowed for the local parishioners to set up another market on a new site, and in 1756, it began again on a 4.5-acre (18,000 m²) site in Rochester Yard. During the 19th century, it became one of London's most important food markets due to its strategic position near the riverside wharves of the Pool of London. By the mid 1990s the market had declined and trustees decided to revive it as a retail rather than a wholesale market. In 1998 they invited Henrietta Green to hold a Food Lovers' Fair, which recruited several long-term traders for the market. From 1996 they let unused space to wholesale businesses such as Neal's Yard Dairy, Brindisa and Monmouth Coffee Company. The new tenants were encouraged to open their premises to retail customers. In 2011, seven traders were expelled from the market for trading from their storage units at Maltby Street Market a mile away. In turn the traders criticised poor facilities at the market and a move to selling takeaway food. In the 2017 London Bridge attack, three attackers drove a vehicle over London Bridge and then ran to the area, where they stabbed and killed eight people with knives before they were shot dead by armed police. The market was then closed for 11 days following the attack.

Information

Borough Market is located on Southwark Street and Borough High Street just south of Southwark Cathedral on the southern end of

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

. The retail market operates six days per week; it is closed on Mondays.

Architecture

The present buildings were designed in 1851 by Henry Rose, with additions in the 1860s and an entrance designed in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style added on Southwark Street in 1932. Significant changes to the buildings have been made over the years as a result of successive expansions to the nearby railway infrastructure; see "Railway viaducts and the Thameslink Programme". A refurbishment began in 2001. The work includes the re-erection in 2004 of the South Portico from the Floral Hall, previously at Covent Garden, which was dismantled when the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

was reconstructed in the 1990s. The original Convent Garden building was listed and the resited portico was Grade II listed in 2008. File:Borough market c1860.jpg, Borough Market circa 1860 File:Art Deco 1930s entrance to Borough Market in Southwark.jpg, Art Deco 1932 Southwark Street entrance File:Borough Market - geograph.org.uk - 594018.jpg, South Portico from the Floral Hall (erected 2004)

Trade

Today market stalls mainly sell specialty foods to the general public. However, in the 20th century Borough Market was essentially a wholesale market, selling produce in quantity to greengrocers. It was the main supplier, along with Covent Garden, of fruits and vegetables to retail greengrocers. Amongst the notable businesses trading in the Borough Market were Vitacress, the Lee Brothers, Manny Sugarman, AW Bourne and Eddy Robbins. JO Sims, the main importer for South African citrus fruit, were also located in the market. Stallholders come to trade at the market from different parts of the UK, and traditional European products are also imported and sold. Amongst the produce on sale are fresh fruit and vegetables,

artisanal food Artisanal food encompasses breads, cheeses, fruit preserves, cured meats, beverages, oils, and vinegars that are made by hand using traditional methods by skilled craftworkers, known as food artisans. The foodstuff material from farmers and backy ...

, cheese, meat, game, baked bread, and

pastry Pastry refers to a variety of Dough, doughs (often enriched with fat or eggs), as well as the sweet and savoury Baking, baked goods made from them. The dough may be accordingly called pastry dough for clarity. Sweetened pastries are often descr ...

. The market is a charitable trust in English law administered by a board of volunteer

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

s, who have to live in the area.

Film location

Borough Market and the surrounding streets have been used as a film location for such features as '' Bridget Jones's Diary'' (2001), '' Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' (1998) and '' Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' (2004). More recently some scenes in '' The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'' (2009) were shot there. As reported by the ''London Evening Standard'', the market is available to hire for private events.

Railway viaducts and the Thameslink Programme

From 1860, the railway operating companies desired to extend services from

London Bridge station London Bridge is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Southwark, south-east London. It occupies a large area on three levels immediately south-east of London Bridge, from which it takes its name. The m ...

into new stations at Cannon Street and Blackfriars in the

City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and link to the West End at Charing Cross Station. This required a viaduct, but legally, it was impossible by the Borough Market Act 1756 for the trustees to alienate their property. The compromise was that only a flying leasehold was given to the railway company for the permanent way, but only for as long as a railway operates on it. The market continues to trade underneath the arches of the viaduct. Each time there is a railway expansion requiring widening of the viaduct, the trustees receive a full compensation payment. Borough Market Viaduct

Most recently, as part of the Thameslink Programme, a large number of listed buildings in the Borough Market area have been altered or demolished. The market building on Bedale Street south-side has had its upper floors removed, as has the Wheatsheaf public house on Stoney Street, for the new railway bridge to cross over them. The remaining floors have been re-occupied. The old market glazed roof on Stoney Street has been re-instated and cleaned. A significant loss was the Smirke Terrace, Nos 16–26 Borough High Street, demolished in 2010.

References

External links

Borough Market

Photos market

List of Borough Market traders online

History of Borough Market
{{coord, 51, 30, 20, N, 00, 05, 27, W, display=title Retail markets in London Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Southwark Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Southwark