Romford Market is a large outdoor retail market located in

Romford Romford is a large List of places in London, town in east London, east London, England, located northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major Metropolitan centres of London, metropolitan centr ...

in the

London Borough of Havering The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities include Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham, Lo ...

, England. The market right was established by royal order in 1247. Rival markets are prohibited within . Governance of the market was strengthened by the 1465 charter of the Liberty of Havering, which was administered from a court house at the western end of the market. Formerly a livestock and agricultural market, cattle was last sold in 1958. The market has been in local authority ownership since it was purchased by the Romford Local Board in 1892 and is now owned by

Havering Council Havering London Borough Council, also known as Havering Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Havering in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under no overall cont ...

. The marketplace was located on the main east–west road through the town until traffic was diverted away from the market in 1969. The market is promoted as a filming location. It is open on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. There was a Sunday market from July 2020 to March 2024. As of July 2020 it has 60 licensed traders, down from a peak of over 300.

History

Market of the Havering manor

It originated as a sheep market that was operating by 1247. The market right on Wednesdays was established by royal writ in 1247, although no charter was issued. Under

common law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prece ...

no other market is permitted to set up within a day's sheep drive, which is taken to be from the marketplace. The 1247 market right did not provide for the governance for the market. By the 15th century, it had become popular with buyers and sellers from the

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and other areas outside of Havering, who were beyond the authority of the manorial court and therefore outside of its powers of enforcement. This caused the prominent families in Havering to seek new rights in a charter in 1465. The manor gained status as the Liberty of Havering, with paid officers including a clerk of the market. A court house (also known as the market house) was located at the western end of the market. This housed the clerk of the market and other liberty officers. Reflecting the change in focus of the town towards the market, the Church of St Edward the Confessor was built to the north of the marketplace around 1410. The market was famous for leather goods by the 15th century, which were manufactured in

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London in the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed a large ancient par ...

and Romford. Havering residents were exempt from tolls to use the market, which were being charged by 1619. The market is the subject of a 1726 legal case called '' Keech v. Sandford''.'' Keech v. Sandford'' (1726) Sel Cas. Ch.61 This is one of the foundational cases of

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, on the fiduciary

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Era of change

In 1819

improvement commissioners Boards of improvement commissioners were ''ad hoc'' urban local government boards created during the 18th and 19th centuries in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and its predecessors the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Irel ...

were set up for the market place and principal streets of the town. They were empowered to levy

rates Rate or rates may refer to: Finance * Rate (company), an American residential mortgage company formerly known as Guaranteed Rate * Rates (tax), a type of taxation system in the United Kingdom used to fund local government * Exchange rate, rate ...

for paving, lighting, watching, and cleansing. The church was rebuilt in 1849/1850 and was designated as a listed building in 1952, with the adjacent 15th/16th century Church House. The market was the property of

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until 1828, when the manor of Havering was sold to Hugh McIntosh. On his death in 1840 it passed to his son David McIntosh. When David died in 1881 it passed to his widow, Charlotte McIntosh. Romford Local Board made several unsuccessful attempts to lease the market from Charlotte McIntosh between 1882 and 1887. There was a legal dispute between them in 1887 about the location of a

weighbridge A truck scale (US), weighbridge (non-US) or railroad scale is a large set of Weighing scale, scales, usually mounted permanently on a concrete foundation, that is used to weigh entire Railroad car#Freight cars, rail or road vehicles and their co ...

in the market, which the local board believed was blocking a right of way. McIntosh won the case. In 1889 the local board turned down an offer to lease the market, claiming that it was in decline. The opening of the

London, Tilbury and Southend Railway The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR), was a British railway company, whose network connected Fenchurch Street railway station, Fenchurch Street station, in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex, including , , , T ...

stations at Dagenham, Hornchurch and Upminster in 1885 had made it easier to reach Barking Market from those communities. Until the early 19th century the market was mostly used for the sale of cattle. By the end of that century the eastern end was used for the sale of pigs and cattle whereas at the western end farm tools, clothing, fruit and vegetables could be found. It was a major agricultural market during the 18th and 19th centuries, with a

corn exchange A corn exchange is a building where merchants trade grains. The word "corn" in British English denotes all cereal grains, such as wheat and barley; in the United States these buildings were called grain exchanges. Such trade was common in towns ...

established in 1845, enlarged in 1861, and closed in 1924. In 1892 the Board of Agriculture ordered the closure of the market, because of a failure to complete paving and drainage works. It was decided at a public meeting that year for the local board to purchase the market and complete the works. The market and old court house were purchased for £7,000 in 1892. The market house building was used as offices by the Romford Local Board and then Romford Urban District Council until 1931. It was demolished in 1933, to make way for the Quadrant Arcade. The market gained a reputation for the

black market A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...

sales of rationed goods during and immediately after the Second World War. The livestock market went into decline after the Second World War. The last sale of horses took place on 13 May 1948. The sale of cattle in the market ended on 21 May 1958, giving way to food, clothing and household goods. The 1965 Romford central area redevelopment plan led to the demolition of buildings to the south of the market. The market and adjacent streets were designated a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

on 1 April 1968. The market was located on the

high street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

, the main east–west road through the town. In 1969 through road traffic was removed from the market as part of the development of the Romford ring road. In 1973 there were around 325 regular traders. The Lamb and the Golden Lion public houses became listed buildings in 1979.

Recent history

New development - Romford Market - geograph

In 1989 Havering Council objected to the creation of a market in

Ilford Ilford is a large List of areas of London, town in East London, England, northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford is within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. It had a po ...

, using the rights of 1247. The marketplace is promoted as a location for filming. In 2005 it was used to film parts of the

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix) by The Prodigy. It was noted by the council that the number of traders was in long-term decline with 339 traders in 1985, 266 traders in 1995 and 170 traders in 2005. By 2015 the number of regular traders had declined to 90. In 2010 the layout of the market was altered to provide wider aisles, better access from the Liberty Shopping Centre and improved electricity supply to the stalls. The market was closed from 24 March to 3 June 2020 because of the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...

. As of July 2020 the market had 60 regular traders. The Romford

business improvement district A business improvement district (BID) is a defined area within whichever businesses elect to pay an additional fee (or assessment) in order to fund projects within the district's boundaries. A BID is not a tax, as taxes fund the government. BID f ...

(BID) was created in 2019, covering the town centre and market. Since 2021, two pitches in the market are sponsored by the BID at weekends between April and October to introduce new small businesses to the market. Regular opening on Sunday began in July 2020. The Sunday market closed in March 2024 as part of Havering Council budget cuts. In 2023 Havering Council attempted to use the market rights to block the opening of the consolidated Dagenham Dock wholesale market to the general public.

Operation

The market is owned and operated by Havering Council. It is open on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The Wednesday market is operated using the 1247 rights. On other days provisions of the Food Act 1984 (c. 30) are used as the legal basis.

Transport

The market is a hub on the

London Bus Buses have been used as a mode of public transport in London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating a horse-drawn ''omnibus'' service from Paddington to the City of London. In the decades since their introduction, the red London ...

network with services from stops on St Edwards Way to

Canning Town Canning Town is a town in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England, north of the Royal Victoria Dock. Its urbanisation was largely due to the creation of the dock. The area was part of the ancient parish and County Borough of West Ham, ...

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, Stratford, Rainham,

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Fo ...

Barkingside Barkingside is an area in Ilford, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It includes the major road junction of Fullwell Cross, which also gives its name to the locality near that roundabout. The area is situated 10.6 miles (17km) north east of Ch ...

, Cranham, Barking,

and

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{LB Havering Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Havering Retail markets in London Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Havering

Market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

1247 establishments in England