Smithfield Poultry Market was constructed in 1961–1963 to replace a Victorian market building in
Smithfield, London, which was destroyed by fire in 1958. Its roof is claimed to be the largest
concrete shell structure ever built, and the largest clear spanning dome roof in Europe.
Background
The old poultry market was built under the provisions of the
Metropolitan Meat and Poultry Market Act 1860 (
23 & 24 Vict. c. cxciii) at the western end of
Smithfield Market
Smithfield, properly known as West Smithfield, is a district located in Central London, part of Farringdon Without, the most westerly Wards of the City of London, ward of the City of London, England.
Smithfield is home to a number of City in ...
, designed by Sir
Horace Jones in a similar style to the other market buildings. It opened in 1875 to the east of
Farringdon Road but was destroyed by fire in 1958.
Design
The new poultry market was designed by architects
T P Bennett and Son. The structural engineers were
Ove Arup & Partners, led by
Povl Ahm and
Jack Zunz. It was completed in 1963, costing £2 million.
The market traders opposed the original design, which had deliveries being made to the ground floor and trading on a first floor above. The replacement design has the trading on the ground floor, in a double-height market hall with rows of market stalls, and a first floor gallery around the inside for offices. Deliveries are made to nine delivery bays on each side, to the north and to the south, with hexagonal glass glazing blocks set in the walls. The building has a frame of reinforced concrete, clad externally with dark blue bricks. The basement includes storage and a public house, the Cock Tavern (now closed).
The design was intended to become a model that could be replicated across the whole Smithfield site, to replace the other Victorian market buildings, but in the event only the Poultry Market was built. It became a Grade II listed building in 2000. The building is no longer in use, and is due to become part of the
Museum of London
London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...
's relocation to Smithfield, along with the also disused Fish Market and General Market.
Roof
The concrete shell roof spans , with a double curvature sheet in the form of an
elliptic paraboloid, mostly only thick but up to at the edges. It is claimed to be the largest concrete shell structure ever built, and the largest clear spanning dome roof in Europe. The shallow structure only rises in the centre, and is supported by
pre-stressed concrete edge beams with
clerestory
A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, a ''clerestory' ...
glazing below, so it appear to balance on its corners. It is pierced by circular rooflights. The external roof surface and gables on each side are clad in copper.
Arup were previously involved in large concrete shell roofs at
Brynmawr Rubber Factory (1945–1951) and the
Bank of England Printing Works at
Debden, Epping Forest
Debden is a suburb in the civil parish of Loughton, in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. It takes its name from the ancient manor of Debden, which lay at its northern end. The area is predominantly residential, but is also the locat ...
(1956), now operated by
De La Rue
De La Rue plc (, ) is a British company headquartered in Basingstoke, England, that produces secure digital and physical protections for goods, trade, and identities in 140 countries. It sells to governments, central banks, and businesses. Its ...
. The engineering calculations for the new roof were tested first with a 1/12 scale model.
The roof was constructed using over a thousand plywood
shutters, each with a different shape. The shell was cast first, and then lifted from its formwork as cables for the edge beams were put under tension. The concrete edge beams were then cast in situ.
File:Inside Smithfield market I, EC1.jpg, Inside the Poultry Market: ground flood
File:Inside Smithfield market II, EC1.jpg, Inside the Poultry Market: first floor
File:Cock Tavern, Smithfield, EC1 (3778332349).jpg, Entrance to the Cock Tavern
References
*
Smithfield Poultry Market, City of London British Listed Buildings
Smithfield Poultry Market Engineering Timelimes
20th Century Society building of the month, June 2003
Design of the dome shell roof for Smithfield Poultry Market ICE Proceedings, Volume 30, Issue 1, 1 January 1965, pp. 79–130
* From: 'The Metropolitan Meat-Market', Old and New London: Volume 2 (1878), pp. 491–496. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45117
History of the market Smithfield Market
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Grade II listed buildings in the City of London
Buildings and structures completed in 1963
Smithfield, London
Meat markets